Alphabet Soup
by CoronaIgnis
Summary: A collection of 100-word drabbles, 10 for each letter of the alphabet.
1. A

As always, I do not own DP. I do own Pyrrha, though.

Each chapter shall contain 10 drabbles of approximately 100 words each. I'm trying to work in some diversity with genres and ideas, so any inspiration is appreciated.

-Corona

* * *

_Abjuration _

The world will burn. _The world will live. _Blood will soak the fields. _Only mine, and only in the defense of my people. No, my peoples. Both of them. _Everyone you love will die. _Not for a long, long time. _That stupid little sign you're so proud of? It's a symbol of despair. _Only to you, Dan. _

Oh?

_Yes, because this symbol, this DP Sam made for me- I've seen it on your chest. I know what it can become… and what it is. _

_Acceptance _

Red-tinged ichor trickled down his cheeks, his arms, his chest. He was bleeding in too many places to count. He didn't even try.

The ghost cocked her head, blinking green liquid from her otherwise colorless eyes. "When will you submit?"

Her opponent bared his teeth. "I should ask you the same question."

She frowned. "You are wounded, little halfa. There is no way you can survive."

Green eyes narrowed. "It's not about survival, fulling." He pushed himself up, back into a battle stance.

She shook her head, hair flowing. "You can't possibly win."

Danny threw back his head and laughed. "Pariah Dark said the exact same thing."

_Adjustments _

Danni loop-de-looped, laughing for the sheer joy of being alive- or at least, as alive as she'd ever been.

The Ecto-Dejecto hummed in her veins, making her laugh again. The worlds were so beautiful, so wonderful, and for the first time in her short half-life she could really truly experience them. She'd never have to worry about disintegrating again.

An ecto-blast grazed her shoulder. Danni yelped.

The ghost looked like a giant lobster, only with more pinchers. The halfa gulped. There was no way she'd be able to fight it without de-stabilizing-

Oh. Right. She was stable.

Danni grinned.

_Adult _

Clockwork had always loathed the age-shifting. It was extremely awkward and uncomfortable, changing from child to youth to elder every few seconds.

Most of all, though, he despised his child form. No one ever took the bucktoothed eight-year-old seriously (except Daniel, who was so absurdly grateful that he wouldn't have cared if Clockwork shifted both age and gender).

Still, the shifting was a necessary evil if he wanted to be Master of All Time. Over the centuries, he'd gotten used to it.

Then he met Jazz Fenton, and suddenly he had a whole new reason to hate his child and elder forms.

_Alliance _

"You can't do this, Great One," Frostbite shouted, pounding on the doors.

"I can and I will," was the irate response. "I'm sick and tired of you two hating each other just because of some centuries-old war. You're staying here until you've worked out a peace treaty."

"But-" began the other prisoner.

"No buts," Danny snapped. "You're both my friends, and I refuse to choose between you, which is exactly what will happen if this war continues. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for math class."

Incredulous, Frostbite turned to Pyrrha, queen of the Burning Lands. She stared back, flame-red eyes bulging.

Actually, the yeti realized, she wasn't that bad-looking. At least, not for a _fire_ elemental….

_Anarchy _

The kingdom was disintegrating around him.

Pariah Dark scowled, clenching his oversized fist. Fright Knight tried unsuccessfully to hide his flinch. The ghost king's lips quirked, the closest he ever came to a smile.

In the Golden Age, things had been different. His master had been a good king, beloved by all his people. Where had those times gone? Fright Knight wondered morosely.

And Pariah's sickness (that was the only way he could describe it) had spread. The once-united nation had divided into smaller city-states, each as uncivilized as the rest. The entire Ghost Zone was in rebellion…

…but once his master had defeated the thirteen Ancients, that would change.

_Antique _

Danny stared in wonder at the sword.

He hadn't meant to take it from the Buddhist temple, but somehow it had ended up in the Specter Speeder, traveling with him and Sam and Tucker across time and space. That, of course, was the problem. Who knew what detrimental effects taking it, even accidentally, had had on the timeline?

But still, he mused, swinging it through the air, what was done was done. The sword was his.

_Arrogant _

Dash shoved the smaller boy against his locker. Mikey whimpered. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Not good enough!"

"Leave him alone, Dash."

The bully spun around, blue-purple eyes narrowing. "Make me, Fen-toad."

Any other day, the hybrid would have walked away (though only once the unfortunate Mikey had managed to escape). That day, though, he'd been burnt, bloodied, bullied, and barricaded into his room- and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.

"Sure thing, Dash." He trotted forward and squeezed the jock's shoulder. Dash fell over, totally unconscious.

Dead silence echoed through the calls of Caspar High. Then the cheers began.

_Art _

The Ghost Writer's fingers rapped furiously away on the keyboard, pausing only to think of new and better words. This was what he- not exactly lived- _existed_ for.

Admittedly, Christmas poetry wasn't exactly his forte, but every author needed to branch out at some point. Besides, it put him in the holiday spirit- pun not intended.

The poem was already three pages long, a simple quatrain describing how even the gloomiest shops lit up at Christmastime. He smiled slightly, remembering his own childhood, how the snow had covered everything so gently, how his father had always chopped down the most perfect tree in the forest.

He had almost finished when Phantom came.

_Assumptions_

"Come back here, you worthless sub-sentient ball of ectoplasmic slime!" Maddie's fingers convulsed around the cannon's trigger.

Phantom dodged. "Y'know, I'm not trying to hurt you. Maybe we could sit down and talk?"

The huntress threw an ecto-grenade. "We don't _need _to talk, ghost. All your kind are evil, lying scum." Her face twisted in hate.

"But how do you know that?" Phantom demanded. "I mean, you've never actually sat down and- hey! What was that for?" He clutched his bleeding arm. "What have I ever done to you?"

"You're a ghost."

The halfa's retort was almost inaudible. "Yeah. I love you too, Mom."


	2. B

_Babble _

"What is that?" the Box Ghost wondered.

"What is that? Fear me," the device replied.

"It's one of my parents' inventions, the Ghost Gabber," the hybrid explained. "It's supposed to translate ghost talk into everyday speech. I thought you could use it to find out what Box Lunch is saying."

"That's a great idea!"

"That's a great idea," monotoned the machine. "Fear me."

The Box Ghost didn't hear. He'd already flown off to fetch his infant daughter.

Box Lunch gurgled into the machine. The males waited eagerly for an interpretation.

"Goo goo gaga. Fear me."

"That's my girl!"

_Banter _

Jazz stared at the notebook, face scrunched in concentration. "Hm… 'fight fire with ICE!' No, Danny is more likely to start out with ecto-blasts. 'Time to be extinguished?'" She considered it. "Cheesy. Very cheesy. Let's see… 'Soup's on'? Well, I suppose it would work if he's stuffing the Lunch Lady into the Fenton Thermos…."

"Jazz? What are you doing?"

The redhead jumped. "Danny! Don't _do _that."

"Are you talking to yourself?"

She blushed. "I'm working on my witty banter, okay?"

Her brother stepped through the wall, smiling gently. "Want help?"

She grinned back. "I'd like that."

_Blame_

Tucker stared in amazement at his PDA. "Danny, you have _got _to see this!"

"What is it?"

"You know how I've been tracking the damage from ghost fights? Check it out. In monetary terms, you only cause six percent of all property damage."

"Wait, what?" The halfa gawked. "You're kidding me. Are you sure that's right?"

The techno-geek snorted. "I've checked and double-checked. Trust me, man, this is accurate. Look at how much the ghost hunters cause."

Danny whistled. "Wow. Sixty-one percent. You're _positive_ this is right?"

"Yep." He laughed. "So next time Valerie starts ranting about how you're a menace, I'll show her my stats."

His friend smirked. "Okay, I have _got _to see that."

_Blessed _

"We are gathered this day to join two souls in holy matrimony…."

Sam was so beautiful in her ivory gown. _Danny was so handsome in his ebony tux. _Goth or not, her face lit up the entire room. _Half-ghost or not, his face lit up the entire room. _Little details burned into his mind: Clockwork's human disguise as he spoke the words, Jazz and Danni in the bridesmaids' dresses, Tucker as the man of honor. _The world was a blur. Only his face was real. _

"I do."

"I do."

Clockwork smiled, violet eyes glittering. "You may kiss the bride."

_Blind _

How can they not see who I am? I mean, Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom- it's not exactly hard to figure out.

And it's not just my parents, it's the entire world. I've messed up so many times. The time with Ember and Youngblood, I thought for sure that someone would notice. Fenton wasn't supposed to have those fighting skills, and he vanished just before Phantom showed up.

I sometimes wonder if they really do know, if they're just pretending. Then Valerie smiles at my human half, and I know the truth. The whole world's blind, and I'm the only one who sees it.

_Bon vivant _

Danny's jaw sagged. "You're kidding me, right?"

The government agent shook his head. "Congress voted unanimously. Congratulations, Mr. Fenton-Phantom. You are now the sole owner of Vladimir Masters's property."

The halfa couldn't believe it. "But he's got, like, eighty bajillion dollars."

"No, Mr. Fenton-Phantom- _you _have eighty bajillion dollars. Once again, congratulations."

The hero stared at the check in his hands, eyes bulging at the amount. Vlad was rich. No, scratch that- Vlad was _very _rich.

For a moment, he was strongly tempted to keep it. After all, he'd saved the world. Then he sighed.

Three days later, an anonymous benefactor donated several million dollars to the victims of ghost attacks.

_Border _

"Today's lesson: geography," Dora announced perkily. "You are familiar of course with the Barrens-"

"The what?" Danny interrupted.

She frowned at him. "The Barrens, sometimes called the Lawless Lands, the dwelling place of your enemies. They are called 'lawless' because most of the inhabitant are eccentrics, anarchists, or escapees from insane asylums."

"I _knew _it!"

Dora hid a smile. "Yes. As I was saying, the Barrens are surrounded by the fifteen Borderlands, four of which you have already visited."

It was Danny's turn to frown. "No, five."

The princess started. "Really? What is the fifth?"

Her pupil smirked. "Amity Park."

_Broken _

The halfa moaned softly, clutching his leg. "Ow."

"Danny!" Sam ran up to him, violet eyes wide in horror. "Are you okay?"

He glared. She blushed. "Yeah, I know, standard question."

"No, I'm not okay. I think I've fractured my femur."

"Do you need a cast?" asked Tucker worriedly. Danny had only been half-ghost for three months, and they didn't know how quickly he could heal a broken bone.

Danny shook his head, biting his lip. "I'm tough," he muttered. "Besides, how would I explain a cast to my parents?"

The bone took a week to heal, and his friends and sister were the only ones to notice.

_Burden _

When Danny was eighteen, he took a class in Greek mythology. Most of the stories were entertainingly inaccurate- the real Tempus Lord was nothing like Chronos; Pandora's Box enhanced ghost powers; the Elysian Fields were nothing more than a tourist trap- but one struck home with him.

Then he learned about Atlas, who held the skies on his shoulder. The halfa knew exactly how he felt, but there was one major difference between himself and the Titan: Atlas had tried to get rid of his load by forcing it onto Heracles. Danny wouldn't give up his burden for the world.

_Bygones _

Did Jack really think that he would ever forgive him? Of course he wouldn't- the fat fool had changed him into a monster, locked him in a hospital for years, stolen the love of his life, rubbed two perfect children (one a half-ghost son) in his face, and topped it all off by abandoning him in space. If Jack thought that Vlad would ever accept, much less _forgive,_ any of those actions, he had another thing coming.

"So why are you helping me?" Plasmius hated how weak his voice sounded, how pathetic.

Jack shrugged. "I really have no idea. Want any fudge?"


	3. C

_Cadet _

"Ninety-nine, one hundred!" bellowed the sergeant. Danny halted his sit-ups, supremely grateful for his hybrid physique and ghost-fighting workouts. The other teens were gasping pitifully, but the halfa was scarcely winded.

"Excellent work, Fenton!" the sergeant yelled. Danny idly wondered if he ever spoke quietly. Probably not.

Laps were next, and once again the hybrid avoided sweating. The others glared at him resentfully, sweat streaming down their faces.

I really should thank Vlad, he mused dryly. It's nice, not hiding my fitness.

As far as evil plots went, this was his worst yet. What kind of idiot sends his arch-nemesis to military school?

_Caffeine _

"You know what's kind of weird? Ever since I became half-ghost, pop and coffee hasn't affected me."

"That is weird," Sam agreed.

Tucker's reaction was more extreme. "You can't digest caffeine! Oh, man, how do you survive?"

"I don't. Half-ghost, remember?"

The techno-geek trembled in horror. "This is not good. This is not good at all. We're gonna havta schedule an intervention here, with lots of pop and lots and lots of coffee and-"

Danny frowned at his friend's enormous cup. "Tucker, how much coffee have you had?"

He took another swig of the dark liquid, smiling. "This is my fifth cup. Why do you ask?"

_Celebrity _

The people of Amity Park knew all about screams. There was the standard "general purpose" scream, the "oh no it's a ghost!" scream, and the "it's Danny Phantom!" scream.

Danny fled, screams of the third kind echoing behind him. Some of the words his fangirls were shouting reached his ears, and his entire face went red. Why was it that these crazies thought he'd fall over them just because they wanted to bear his child?

Some days, he wished the town still hated him. Then he wouldn't have to put up with the life of a celebrity.

_Charity _

"Charity?" yowled Tucker. "You gave it all to charity?"

"Sh!" hissed Danny, glancing around nervously. Fortunately, no one had heard.

"Eighty bajillion dollars, Danny. You had eighty bajillion dollars, and you gave it all to charity." The full-human was appalled.

His friend sighed. "Well, yeah. Remember what happened the last time I got rich? Not pretty. I'd kind of prefer to avoid that."

Tucker had to concede the point. "Still, that _had _to have hurt."

Danny shrugged. "Actually, it was surprisingly painless. Besides, there are people out there who need it a lot more than me."

Tucker sighed. "Always the hero, aren't you." But he was smiling.

_Cherish _

Kwan wasn't cowering, of course he wasn't. It was totally normal to hide during ghost fights, especially when said ghost could actually make Phantom bleed.

There was a flash of light, and Phantom sucked his adversary into that weird thermos thing he carried around. The hero landed on the football field, panting.

Kwan walked out. "Good job, Phantom!"

The ghost blinked at him wearily before glancing at his feet, where Kwan's football rested. "This yours?"

"Yeah."

Phantom threw it in a single elegant motion. Kwan caught, eyes wide. From then on, the football was his most prized possession.

_Chivalry _

When Fright Knight joined with Vlad Plasmius, he was just trying to escape Pariah Dark. He hadn't known anything about the halfa's goals.

So when he finally learned that the madman wanted to steal another man's wife, he was appalled. Courtly love was permissible, troubadours were admired, but plotting to kill someone to steal his widow? It went against everything he stood for.

Which was why, one year after leaving Pariah, he stood before the young hero many called Kingsbane. Phantom stared back with bulging green eyes. His katana dropped from his hands.

"You want to be my _minion!"_

_Color _

It never ceased to amaze him just how blind people could be. Take his hair, for instance. It was black, and then it was white. A photographic negative of Phantom would look exactly like Fenton and vice versa. How did no one see that?

And his eyes were even worse. In the early days, they'd gone from blue to green whenever he was angry. He had more control now, but Phantom's eyes turned blue when he accessed his ice powers. Blue-eyed Phantom, green-eyed Fenton- how did no one see that?

_Connoisseur _

Jack stared at the fudge, brow furrowed in concentration.

It was so _hard _to find good fudge nowadays. Most was either too gritty or too soft. No one understood that texture was just as important as flavor.

And speaking of flavors, there were so _many!_ Fruit flavors, chocolates, caramels, fudges with nuts or without, swirl of jelly or peanut butter, foreign tastes he'd never heard of before but sounded _so good._ How could he choose? How could _anyone_ choose!

Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. His mouth watered.

"Hey! Hurry up!" shouted the kid behind him. Jack started; he'd forgotten there was a line.

"I'll take a pound of classic black, please."

_Convergence _

He dreamed of it, sometimes: elegant towers rising far into the sky, verdant parks, spacious, tree-lined boulevards. In his fantasies, it had been designed by a world-famous city planner, someone known for his beauty and practicality.

He'd dreamed about living there with Sam and their unborn children. He dreamed of them interacting with both humans and ghosts, and doing so in a friendly manner. Other halfas would be born, good ones, and he and Danni would never be alone again.

He called his dream home Convergence, the Gray City, home of both ghosts and mortals.

_Cult _

"Who's Hourglass?" Danny wondered.

Clockwork's expression was pained. "She's the high priestess of the idiots who worship me."

His friend's jaw sagged. "High priestess? You have a _high priestess?_" He choked. "You have a high priestess! That's hilarious!"

"Not really," his guardian replied darkly. "You see, the Observants threaten to marry us if I set one metaphorical toe out of line. She looks forward to it. I do not."

The younger choked. "And I thought my fangirls were bad!"

Clockwork smiled grimly. "Don't worry, youngling. In a few years, you too will experience the _joys_ of an obsessive cult."

Danny froze. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I've never lied to you before. Why would I start now?"

_Custody _

"This cannot be legal," Danny whined.

His English teacher shrugged. "At the very least, Mr. Fenton, they're guilty of severe child neglect. At the worst…." His jaw tightened. He turned to the nurse. "Has he ever reported any of these scars to you?"

"No," she whispered. "Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry… _no one_ should have that many scars…."

The hybrid flinched, wanting to protest but knowing it was futile. He sighed. "What are you going to do to me?"

Lancer flinched, hating the youth's tone. "I don't know yet, but one thing is certain- you're not staying with Jack and Maddie Fenton. Consider yourself a ward of the state."


	4. D

_Dance _

Dora glided across the floor, twirling gracefully. It was the one-year anniversary of her coronation, and she'd invited Sir Phantom and his human friends to celebrate. After all, they were the ones who'd put her on the throne.

Master Foley stood by the refreshments, flirting incorrigibly with her maids. Sir Phantom and Princess Samantha glided over. They talked for a moment, then Tucker took Samantha's hand and waltzed across the floor. Daniel danced with his sister, the Lady Danielle. On Dora's other side, Lady Jasmine waltzed with a young ghost she'd never seen before.

The dragoness smiled blissfully. She loved to dance.

_Dark _

He knew that everyone had something ugly inside them. For Tucker, it was jealousy. For Sam, rage.

After the incident with the C.A.T., Danny learned that his own heart-shadow was bitterness. That was a problem, since between the ghost attacks and ghost hunter attacks, he had more than enough reason to be bitter.

But he had seen what would happen if he let that vindictiveness take over. He saw it every time he went to visit Clockwork.

Which was why he was floating here in space, extending a hand to someone who hated him. Vlad stared back, disbelieving. Danny scowled. "Are you coming or not?"

_Death _

The Dairy King panted for breath. Was this the end? It couldn't be; he was only fifty-two, far too young to die. Yet here he was, bedridden and gasping in a futile attempt to fill his lungs.

He didn't want to leave. He loved his castle, his friends, his business, his family. What would happen to them when he was gone? Would they-

-the pain stopped, and with it his heart. Around him, his family sobbed.

The Dairy King stared at his hands, amazed.

He was fifty-two years old, a businessman in his prime. He was also a ghost.

_Deception _

"You're not mad, are ya, V-man?"

Mad? Why would I be mad? All you did was ruin my life, infect me with a hideous disease, half- _kill _me, and steal the woman of my dreams. Why on Earth or in the Ghost Zone would I be mad about that?

Vlad fought back a snort. "Of course not, Jack. I know perfectly well that it wasn't your fault."

The fat man sounded ecstatic. "If that's the case, of course we'll come to the reunion! And-"

The halfa grimaced. "Jack, I have to go now. I think my phone is dying."

And Jack, of course believed him. Why would his old buddy lie?

_Delegate _

It was a good thing he'd waited until they were alone. Tucker's reaction was _loud. _

"_They want you to join the UN?" _

Danny flinched, cursing his sensitive hybrid ears. "Yeah. Phantom me, at least. I'm supposed to be their liaison to ghost culture and stuff."

"Will you do it?" demanded Sam.

"Well _yeah!_ I just have to run it by the High Observant Council and stuff."

"But what about your parents? You can't just tell them you're the Ghost Zone's ambassador to the United Nations."

Danny's smirk was positively evil. "Oh, they already said yes."

As if on cue, Jack opened the door. "Didja hear? Danny won a trip to Disneyland!"

_Deserve _

"One hundred percent? You gave me a _one hundred percent?"_ Danny's voice was incredulous, and Lancer didn't blame him. His student was lucky to get low B's, much less a perfect score.

The English teacher smiled warmly. "Of course, Mr. Fenton. This was the best paper I've ever read about Jekyll and Hyde."

The disbelief was wearing away, replaced by almost childish glee. "Thanks, Mr. Lancer. I hate to gush, but you have no idea how much this means to me." A grin split his face. "I've gotta go show Jazz!" He darted off.

Lancer chuckled. "It's no more than you deserve, Mr. Phantom."

_Desperate _

"Will you be my friend?"

"NO!" The human jerked away in horror, eyes bulging. Klemper sniffled. He didn't understand it. He was a nice person, so why wouldn't anybody be his friend? Why was the world so mean to him?

Normally, he would have rebounded immediately and gone after another person. Today, though, he couldn't stop the tears.

"Are you okay?" It was the ghost boy, the one they called Phantom. "Klemper?"

The ghost remained silent.

Phantom closed his eyes. "Stupid hero complex…." He opened them, bright and brilliant green. "Will you be my friend?"

_Dinner _

Danny was used to disapproving stares from just about everyone: his family, his teachers, his peers, ghost hunters. But none of those gazes intimidated him half as much as the Mansons' suspicious glares.

"You're using the wrong fork," Sam muttered, too softly for any human to hear. Her boyfriend blushed, grabbed another utensil. "Still wrong."

In a futile attempt to distract his hosts, the halfa began small-talking. "Great weather we've been having, right?"

They kept glaring. Danny groaned.

The appetizers arrived, carried by a snooty-looking waiter. Sam sighed. It was going to be a long, long night.

_Dorm _

When Jazz first arrived at Hartford College, she found that her room was already filled to bursting. Oh, it wasn't a matter of possessions- her roommate Liz was one of those people who just took up space.

"Oh, we're going to have _so_ much fun," she squealed, grasping the redhead's hand. "We can do all that cool roommate stuff like check out guys together and go to concerts and paint our nails and-"

Liz's mother grimaced apologetically at her daughter's new friend. "But first, Liz, she needs to unpack." She glanced at the girl's suitcase. "And so, daughter dear, do you."

_Dream _

Ever since he was a little kid, Danny had wanted to be an astronaut.

It wasn't the spaceships that appealed to him, though like any young boy, he'd been intrigued by them. No, it was the thought of flying through the sky, of exploring new worlds that no human being had ever seen before. He'd wanted the excitement, the adventure, the novelty of outer space.

When he first became half-ghost, he despaired of achieving this dream. Astronauts needed good grades, and his GPA was plummeting rapidly. Then he realized something wonderful: space might be forbidden him, but the Ghost Zone was not.


	5. E

_Ear _

"They make me look girly!" Tucker whined, tugging grouchily at the Fenton Fones.

"Stop complaining. Would you rather be brainwashed by Ember again?"

"No, but do these have to look so feminine? I have a manly reputation to maintain!"

Sam snorted.

Danny commented, "In my Greek mythology class, we learned about these things called sirens. They could brainwash people through sound too, so Odysseus had his sailors stuff their ears full of wax. It worked."

Tucker's nose scrunched up. "Wait… they stuffed their ears full of _wax?_ That's kind of gross."

"Hey, I was just making a suggestion."

In the end, Tucker stuck with the Fenton Fones.

_Eccentric _

Eighteen-year-old Vladimir Masters plopped down in his advisor's chair and fixed the professor with a steady glare. "I want a new roommate."

"You've only been here a week."

"I don't care. Jack Fenton is completely, inarguably, irrevocably, utterly _insane._"

"He can't be that bad."

"But he is!" The teenager leapt out of the chair. "He sleeps with a teddy bear, hides fudge in the strangest places, and he believes in ghosts! Ghosts! You know, floating spirits of dead people that_ don't exist_?"

"Humor him," she advised. "What's the worst that could happen?"

_Elemental _

"You know, I was only aiming for a peace treaty."

Frostbite and Pyrrha beamed toothily at him. "Yes, but isn't a marriage contract much more binding? Besides, we've already signed it." The yeti gave him a puppy-dog stare. "Aren't you happy for us, Great One?"

Danny held up his hands defensively. "Of course I'm happy for you! I just wasn't expecting this, that's all."

"Excellent!" cried the Queen of Fire. "You shall be our best man!"

"…What?"

The salamander smiled. "Great One, there are not many ghosts who can command both ice and fire. Besides, you introduced us."

He smirked. "When's the wedding?"

_Eminent _

"You know Lord Clockwork?" Skulker's mechanical eyes were wide with horror.

"Well _yeah. _The High Observant Council made him my ghostly godfather after- um, after we met, but he never mentioned being a lord."

"Of course he's a lord! Clockwork is the Master of All Time, the Tempus Lord, Watcher of the Worlds! By the Styx, how could you not know this?"

His prey shrugged. "Well, he's never brought it up." A wonderful thought occurred to him. "Hey, does this mean you'll stop hunting me?"

Skulker's expression clearly questioned his sanity. "You're the Tempus Ward! Of _course _I'll stop hunting you!"

Danny pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!"

_Entertainment _

_The Walter Studios production "Phantom" will debut on Tuesday, and thousands of fans have already pre-ordered their tickets. Yet is this long-awaited movie worth the excitement? After all, though the picture claims to explore Phantom's past, the producers acknowledged that it's really only guesswork. "Danny Phantom is too mysterious for this to be a biography," said an anonymous stagehand. "It's really more of a POSSIBLE past than a documentary." Nonetheless, most fans are ready to accept it as canon fact. _

"We going to that?" asked Tucker.

"Well _yeah._" Sam waved the tickets. "I got us front-row seats."

_Errand _

All Jazz had wanted to do was pick up a half-gallon of milk so she could make fudge on Father's Day. In her opinion, it was a perfectly reasonable desire, _not_ the kind of greed which would inspire the universe to strike out against her.

She ducked into Aisle 5, panting heavily. "Come out, come out!" sang the meat monster.

The redhead reached into her backpack, clutched the small metal item she never went anywhere without. The Fenton Peeler sprang to life.

Half an hour later, the exhausted but proud amateur huntress walked through her door. Maddie frowned. "Jazz, honey, where's the milk?"

_Error _

"NOOOOOO!" Tucker's wail of despair echoed throughout the Internet café, prompting several other customers to look around for ghosts. "Zero-sized reply? Zero-sized reply? Live, I beg of you!"

Green words lit up the screen. "CRY ALL YOU WANT, HUMAN CHILD, BUT I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY, WILL NEVER GIVE BACK YOUR INTERNET ACCESS!"

The techno-geek's eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh yeah? Feast on the power of my anti-virus software!"

With a tiny shriek, Technus flew out of the computer. "No! I'm still recovering from last time!"

Tucker smirked, went back to his browsing. He froze. "Zero-sized reply? Come on!"

_Evil _

There was nothing Dan enjoyed more than causing pain. Green shot from his hands. The humans screamed, but they weren't dead. They would suffer for a long, long time.

Spectra literally fed off of misery and hurt. Suffering was her meat and drink, and suicide… suicide was like a fine wine. She smirked as the sobbing youth ran off. She would drink well tonight.

Vortex simply couldn't care less. When his hurricanes devastated coasts, when his storms flattened the fields of starving farmers, he shrugged and went about his business.

Danny loathed them all.

_Expected _

Not surprisingly, the Observants knew he was coming. Their snooty-faced secretary icily informed him that his meeting with the Council was in two hours, and he'd best make himself presentable before then.

One last-minute shopping spree later, Danny stood before the High Observant Council to present his case. "…and that's why you should let me attend the United Nations as the Ghost Zone's official ambassador."

"And that you shall be," declared a particularly pompous-looking eyeball.

Danny started. "Really? You're not protesting or anything?"

It waved its hand. "Of course. We've been preparing for this for years. Why else do you think we let you live?"

_Exposed _

When Vlad sent his vultures to make the locker room walls invisible, he hadn't known about Danny's scars. In retrospect, it was stupid- the boy FOUGHT GHOSTS. Of course there would be scars.

The students gawked, silent and horrified. How had one of their own gotten those horrible injuries? They couldn't speak or move, only stare.

"What's going- _Iliad _and _Odyssey_!" Lancer's appalled exclamation cut through the silence like a knife. Danny turned, finally realizing that they could see him. He tried to cover himself, but it was too late.

"Nurse's office, Mr. Fenton," barked Lancer. His mind filled with stories of child abuse.

"Uh… can I put some clothes on first?"


	6. F

"Fire" is about the bus driver in "Forever Phantom." "Filial" won't make sense unless you've read my other story, Kith and Kin. "Frighten" is kind of a continuation of "Chivalry" in chapter 3. I'm thinking of turning that into a story of its own after I'm done with Kith and Kin. What do you guys think?

Also, my new goal is for this collection of one-shots to include every character in Danny Phantom. Send me names of minor characters that I've left out and I'll figure something out for them.

* * *

_Fact _

"Tucker!" Valerie screamed, stomping up to the bespectacled techno-geek. "What's the meaning of this?" She waved a sheet of paper in his face.

"Oh, those are just the stats about ghosts, ghost hunters, and property damage that I calculated. Neat, huh?"

"They're lies," the huntress hissed. "They say that hunters do more damage than ghosts, and that that filthy Phantom is barely responsible for anything!"

Tucker's eyes narrowed, bored into hers. "That's because hunters _do_ do more damage than ghosts, and Phantom _is _barely responsible for anything. Face it, Val, and be glad that none of the local business owners know you're the Red Huntress."

_Fidget _

Johnny squirmed, not meeting his girlfriend's gaze. Kitty shifted uncomfortably, not knowing why her beau was so nervous but affected by it anyways. "What's wrong?" she asked for the umpteen billionth time.

For the umpteen billionth time, Johnny replied, "Nothing. Hey, look, our food's here!"

Once the waiter was gone, Kitty wondered, "How did you convince Phantom to let us hang out in the human world?"

He bit his lip, sucked in an unnecessary breath. "Because I told him this was our favorite restaurant when we were alive… and that I wanted to do this." He pushed out of the chair, sank to one knee. "Kitty DiMarais, will you marry me?"

_Filial_

"I don't know why I'm doing this. I don't like you- never have, never will- and I definitely don't like being related to you. Yeah. We're related. I bet you didn't know that, huh? Just don't ask me to explain how- it's really complicated. The point is, I don't like you. I mean, you're nuttier than the fruit loop, and you tried to freaking _kill _me. Um, fully kill me, or whatever happens to halfas. The point is, you almost made me find that out, and that's something I never want to do.

"But like it or not- and I don't- we're blood, so happy Father's Day, Dad."

_Fire _

"You ran a bus full of schoolchildren off the side of a cliff." Fred's employer did not sound impressed.

The man in question felt sweat trickle down his neck. "I was trying to avoid that cat in the middle of the road. You wouldn't want me to kill a kitty, would you? Besides," he added, growing defensive, "Danny Phantom saved us, and the kids got a kick out of that. No harm done."

"But the fact remains that you nearly killed sixty children. Go hand in your keys, Fred. You're fired."

_Fool _

"Danny, that's a robot. I don't care how stupid they are, there's no way they won't notice that _that is a robot_."

"No, Danni, they will. I do this all the time."

The other halfa arched a brow. "Really. Your parents have really mistaken this robot for you." She did not sound convinced.

"No, really," her brother protested. "I've done this about ten times already. The longest was for five whole days. Trust me, they won't notice."

As if on cue, Jack ran into the room. Both halfas went invisible. Jack grabbed the DannyBot, dragged it outside.

"That's… kind of sad."

Danny sighed. "Believe me, sis, I know."

_Fortune _

The little blue-eyed boy stared in amazement at the old man's beard. "Cool!" he exclaims. Then, remembering he's not supposed to talk to strangers, he adds, "I'm Danny, Mister. What's your name?"

The man smiles indulgently. "Just call me Clock."

"Oh. Do you make clocks?"

"Sometimes, yes. Most of the time, though, I look into the future." His eyes glittered mischievously. "Would you like to hear yours?"

Danny listened in amazement to the stranger's tales of adventure and suspense. "I'm really gonna do all that?"

"Of course, youngling." Clockwork smiles. "All that and more."

_Frighten_

Dash stalked down the hallways, glowering at anyone and everyone who so much as looked at him. Nerds fled in terror- all but one. "Fentoad!" he screamed, and drew his fist back for a punch.

"YOU DARE TOUCH MY LIEGE?"

A stinging pain sliced across his cheek. In a heartbeat, Caspar High vanished. Dash stared. He was standing next to a soda can… that was about five times as large as he was.

Oh crap. He was puny again, and Phantom wasn't there to save him. He screamed girlishly, attracting the attention of an enormous mouse. Still shrieking, Dash ran.

Back in the real world, Fright Knight beamed at his new master. "Did I do well, my lord?"

_Fruit _

Undergrowth's tendrils of power grew, and grew, and grew, only encountering green life in a few places. Then, quite unexpectedly, he found a cache of dead vegetation. Curious, the ghost followed his probes into an immense place called WalMart. Then he screamed.

Rows and rows of his children lay there, dead, their rotting bodies covered in stickers and price tags. Apples, oranges, bananas- all precious, all for sale like common fertilizer!

He extended his will, and the dead fruits floated out into the world. Not all of them would take root, he knew that, but he had to save some.

Fifty years later, Amity Park had a substantial population of fruit trees.

_Fun _

"Whee!" screamed Youngblood, sliding down the bannister. "C'mon, Bones, this is awesome!" He flew up to the top of the stairs to repeat the entire process.

"No thanks," grumbled the shape-shifter, currently wearing the form of a parrot. "I can already fly, thank you very much."

"Chicken!"

"Not today. Today I'm a parrot."

"You know what I mean," the ghost groused, halting. "You need to loosen up more, birdbrain."

"Nph."

Youngblood grabbed the parrot, not giving him a chance to escape. "Whee!"

Five minutes later, Bones was forced to admit that yes, this was awesome.

_Future _

I promised them- my friends and family and teacher- that it would never happen, and I've kept my promise. And I will forever, until the end of time and beyond.

I know this, intellectually at least, but the demon refuses to die. But I can't help but remember on this day, this awful day….

Jack and Maddie are grinning at me, oblivious as always. Sam and Tuck and Jazz flinch, knowing how much it hurts. Together, they chorus, "Happy twenty-fourth birthday, Danny!" and Jazz leans over and whispers, "Dan_ny_, not Dan."


	7. G

_Game _

Dash, and to a lesser extent his friend Kwan, ruled Caspar High due to one fact alone: they were good at football. To their fellow students, football wasn't a game; it was a religion, a pastime, a hobby and joy. As such, its champions were idols, adored by almost the entire school.

Neither jock wanted to lose his prized position. That was why they had been picking on Fenton so much lately. If he could take on an army of ghost pirates and win, he could lead the football team to countless victories.

Good thing for them that Danny Fenton-Phantom wasn't interested in games.

_Gems _

Friederich treasured these moments with his father, when the elder Showenheimer all about their family lore. That night's story was about the Reality Gauntlet and the three jewels which powered it: Form, Fantasy, Life.

When his father left, the boy couldn't fall asleep. His mind filled with the gems' distinctive forms. Form, Fantasy, Life. What would he do with such power? The thought of completing the Gauntlet, of holding total power over reality itself, made him shiver with excitement.

One day, he vowed, when _he _owned the freak show and _he _was the boss, he would find the objects and put them together.

And he did.

_Geometry _

Sam and Tucker had expected Danny to loathe their new math class. Instead, he seemed positively tickled by it. "It's just like ghost fights," he explained to his befuddled friends. "What angle should I shoot my ecto-blast at to make sure it hits my enemy? How big a building can I turn intangible? How many ghosts can I fit in a Fenton Thermos that's ten inches long?"

"I think you're obsessed. And insane," Sam informed him bluntly.

"There's that," he admitted glibly, "but can you blame me? It's not every day I take a class that has applications for real life."

_Ghost _

Danny stared at the representatives for the United Nations. They stared back, waiting for him to speak.

The halfa gulped, prayed he wouldn't stutter. "First off, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the entire Ghost Zone, especially the High Observant Council and the Borderland Alliance, for taking time to listen to me. There are a lot of misconceptions about our peoples, and before I do anything else, I'd like to clear some of those up. First off, a ghost is defined as the ectoplasmic manifestation of a dead human soul…." He smiled. "Which means that, different as we seem, our two peoples are kin."

_Gorilla _

The animal now known as Delilah smiled indulgently as Two-Haired Boy and his almost-mate, Night Lady, gave her their message. Grunting happily, she handed Night Lady her baby. The human female cooed. "He's so cute."

Delilah didn't understand the words, but the tone was clear. Two-Haired Boy translated, and she puffed up with pride. Her offspring gurgled.

Night Lady handed him back to his mother. "Come on, Danny. Let's leave before they open the zoo."

Her almost-mate turned to the gorilla. _We'll be back soon, _he signed. _Bye!_

_Gossip _

"Jazz!" The girl ran up to her tutor, panting with exertion and excitement. "Is it true that your brother has fifty zillion scars and incredibly hot muscles?"

"Uh…." It was, but how did she know that? "No. Not that I'm aware of."

"Oh." Her companion deflated. "Cause I heard this rumor that some ghost turned the locker room walls invisible when he was showering, and that's what people saw."

Jazz's blood ran cold. "Oh. Weird. Gotta go!"

Sam and Tucker, she had to find Sam and Tucker- but her quest was interrupted by one Paullina Sanchez. "Hey, Fenton! I heard rumors that your brother is hot!"

_Great one _

Coldfire, crown prince of the Far Frozen and Burning Lands, was engaged in an intense game of patty-cake with his ten-foot sharp-fanged sharper-clawed father when his godfather (in human form) phased through the walls. "Gwaewon!" the young ghost squealed, abandoning patty-cake to reach out towards the halfa.

Danny froze. "What did you just call me?"

"Gwaewon!" Coldfire answered obligingly.

The hybrid turned to glare at the infant's father, who was stifling his laughter behind his large, fur-covered paws. "Is that his first word?"

"Gwaewon!"

"Yes it is."

"…If you weren't already dead, I would kill you."

_Ground rules _

"Okay, Fright Knight. If you're serious about this… liege thing… there are some things you have to do. No sending classmates- or anyone else, for that matter- to alternative dimensions without my express permission."

"He was attacking you," the warrior pointed out.

"He does that, but I don't fight back because I don't want anyone to know I'm Phantom. That leads to rule number two: no mentioning that little fact to humans who don't know. Rule three: stay away from Danny _Fenton_. Rule four: avoid FentonWorks." Danny paused. "I think that's it."

His new servant repeated the rules as his master walked off to biology. Neither remembered to release Dash from his prison of terror.

_Guard _

Cujo was a guard dog, plain and simple. He'd been born to it, bred for it, so why would he let a little thing like dying stop him from protecting his pack?

He liked his pack. The alpha was Changing Male. Cujo's next favorite was the alpha's not-quite-a-mate, Smells-Like-Plants. The other members, Metal Presser and Collar-on-the-Head, weren't mated but were close friends.

Cujo's pack needed protection from Mean Red Female and the ghosts. Cujo could provide that protection.

Changing Male pushed Cujo back into the Ghost Zone. The puppy whined. Why wouldn't the alpha let him protect the pack?

_Guest _

Vlad phased through the door Danny had slammed in his face. "Really, Daniel, is that any way to treat your father's best friend?"

"When the _friend_ is you, yes."

"Vladdie!" Jack cut off the hybrids' confrontation by slapping his 'buddy' across the back. "Glad you could make it. Maddie's making enchiladas." His stomach growled. "They're really good! And we have fudge for desert!"

"Yeah," Danny smirked, "Dad sure married a great cook."

Score: Phantom 1, Plasmius 0.

Jazz fled to her room. Things always got ugly when Vlad came for dinner.

* * *

Night Lady=Smells-Like-Plants=Sam

Two-Haired Boy=Changing Male=Danny

Metal Presser= Tucker (reference to his PDA)

Collar-on-the-Head= Jazz (reference to her headband, which Cujo thinks is a collar)


	8. H

_Habit _

"I am Technus, Master of-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" screamed two and one-half frustrated human teenagers.

The specter glared. "Honestly, can't you at least have the decency to listen to my introduction before I enact my brilliant plan to steal the discarded technology from the dump and use it to destroy your town?"

"Nope," laughed Danny, aiming the thermos at him. "By the way, you really need to stop blurting out your evil plans. It makes you even easier to stop."

Instead of dodging, Technus slapped himself. "Curse my loudmouthed habits!"

"I agree," the halfa replied.

_Hate _

Damien Gray didn't loathe the ghost boy, even if he had lost his old job due to the spook.

Valerie was his exact opposite. Every day her invectives against him became more vitriolic, more enraged. She trained from dawn til dusk, only pausing to eat or sleep or hunt. It had been a bit better during the school year, but now, in summer, her vendetta against Phantom consumed her entirely.

And Damien was tired of watching his daughter slide further and further from his reach. She needed help- not with defeating Phantom, but with defeating herself.

"Valerie?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I've signed you up for therapy."

_Haunting _

Sidney Poindexter had died young, still bitter and enraged over the countless bullies in his school. He tried to rest in peace, he really did, but it was so _hard,_ knowing that other innocents were being tormented by bullies at that very moment.

Then he learned how to create a lair, one that looked exactly like Caspar High. More importantly, the lair was connected to Caspar through a natural portal in the shape of a mirror.

He had a way back. He had motivation.

The bullies never knew what hit them.

_Heiress _

"Uh, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get that software we used to defeat Technus?"

"Bribery."

"But how did you afford that?"

"She's rich," Tucker supplied.

Danny pulled up short. "Huh?"

"Her great-grandpa made that one machine that puts cellophane on toothpicks, so her entire family's filthy rich. She has her own bowling alley."

"Actually, that's grandma's."

"You're pulling my leg."

"Would I do that to you?"

"Yes, Tucker, yes you would."

"Your paranoia is justified, but for once he's telling the truth. Come over to my place and I'll prove it to you."

_Hermit _

Alicia MacIntire had chosen her exile, and she loved every minute of it. The backwoods were her home, the uneducated 'neighbors' (who lived half a mile or more away) her friends.

She loved the woods, so she did _not _appreciate it when her idiot brother-in-law chased his angry wife into her domain. She made it very clear that Jack was not welcome here, but as usual he ignored her.

When the Fentons finally, _finally _left, the woman collapsed into her favorite rocking chair. Her fists clenched with memories of Jack messing everything up- again. Alicia growled softly. "And people wonder why I left humanity behind."

_Hero _

He was… tired. How long had it been since he'd had time to himself? How long since he'd laughed, played, lived?

But he accepted that cost, had accepted it long ago. It hurt, yes, worse than any scar or injury he'd received, but it was worth it. Worth it more than anything else.

So what if he didn't get his homework done? He always finished his ghost battles. So what if he didn't do his chores? He cleaned up after an entire city. He was Phantom. He was the hero.

But today, in the arcade with Sam and Tucker, he could just be a kid.

_How? _

"Mom, Dad, Grandma? There's something Danny and I need to show you."

Jeremy Manson's first thought was, _please don't let it be a pregnancy test. _His second was, _please don't let it be a _positive_ pregnancy test. _He was far too young to be a grandfather.

Daniel was stiff, petrified almost. Pamela and Ida sat on the other couch, confused and concerned.

"Just get it over with," Samantha advised.

Daniel took a deep breath. "Right." His eyes closed. "I'm going ghost."

And Phantom opened his green eyes to stare at them.

All was silent, except for Jeremy's strangled, "How…?"

_Human _

There had been a time when Tucker yearned for ghost powers like Danny's: flight, intangibility, invisibility… maybe even a few of Technus's powers. He might not like the loudmouthed ghost, but that didn't mean that the specter's abilities weren't cool.

And now Danny had given up those powers; nothing remained but a white streak in his hair. The portal was closed. Waiting.

He could step in, press the button, regain everything he'd gotten from Desiree and more. He could be a halfa again. He could have everything Danny had thrown away.

Tucker Foley turned away. Ghost powers were cool and all, but his humanity was so much more precious.

_Hunter _

Skulker knew, deep down, that he could never capture the halfa. He hadn't admitted it consciously, but something within him had acknowledged the inevitable.

Eventually, though, not even his immense stubbornness could deny it any longer: Danny Phantom was simply out of his league. The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter had finally been outfoxed, outmuscled, outpowered, outdone.

Yet despite this realization, he didn't stop hunting the child until Phantom let slip that he knew (more than knew, was on first-name terms with!) the Master of All Time. Hopeless or not, he'd never given up on a hunt before, and he wouldn't now.

_Hybrid _

Going ghost. Cold core in the center, bursting into light. Rings unfurling, expanding, enveloping. Hair becomes white, eyes green and fierce. Pale glow on paler skin. Change, and joy at the change, all glorious and beautiful and _right. _

Changing back. Heat warms the cold core, hides it, bursts into light. Rings unfurl, expand, envelop. Hair becomes black, eyes blue and mild. Skin still pale, but no longer glowing. Change, and wonder at the change, impossible and incredible and _right. _

Going ghost, changing back. Both and neither all at once. Two worlds in his hands, perfectly balanced on rings of light.

Daniel Fenton-Phantom loved being a halfa.

* * *

...Come on. We all know that Valerie needs therapy. So do a lot of other people, for that matter.

The next chapter of "Kith and Kin" should be up in a day or two. I hope.

-Corona


	9. I

_Ice _

There was a saying in the Far Frozen: "A true master can use his powers as more than a weapon. A true master can use his powers as art."

Over time, the saying had inspired many and crushed many more. It was easy to shoot and blast, but how many people could create, beautify, craft? Not many, and those few were accorded more respect than any others.

The halfa smiled at the gorgeous sculpture before him. Frostbite laid a proud hand on his friend's shoulder. "It is amazing, Great One. Truly, you have mastered the power of ice."

Danny couldn't argue.

_Ignorant _

Danny's eyes glowed green as his parents blathered on about ghosts- at an international press conference. Pariah Dark's invasion had forced the world to acknowledge the existence of spirits, and terrified humans turned to the only "experts" they knew: the hunters who had kept everyone safe as skeletons roamed the street.

If the "experts" had known what they were talking about, all would have been well and good. however, they didn't, and therein lay the problem.

Danny when ghost, soared towards the conference. "If you want lies, stay here. But if you want the truth…." He flew away, but they remained behind.

_Ill _

"He's got an awful fever…."

"Over seventy degrees. Jazz, this is bad. Normally, he's just…."

Danny groaned. His throat felt filled with sandpaper.

"Hold still!" yelped his sister, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. "You're sick. Stay in bed and rest, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts, Danny. You're sick, you're staying here. End of story."

The halfa coughed. "Ugh… feels like… on _fire_…."

It was so hot. He had to get rid of the heat. Had to….

His sheets burst into flame. Yelping, he phased through them, summoned ice to quench the blaze.

"Huh. Looks like I've got fire powers. Cool."

_Illegal _

Jack and Maddie Fenton had no idea why three police officers had showed up at their home, read them their rights, and were dragging them off to jail (though, had they been paying attention, they would have known full well what was going on). When Maddie awoke from her stupor, she demanded, "What are we accused of?"

"Child abuse," grunted an officer. "It's kind of frowned upon in civilized society." He shot her a glare of utter disgust before returning his gaze to the road.

"We have done no such thing!" the huntress retorted.

He snorted. "Then why is your son covered in scars?"

_Immigrant _

The man at the INS had no idea what to think when the large, glowing wolf monster plopped down and requested a translator for Esperanto of all things. But the creature's claws and teeth were sharp, so he obediently requested the requested service.

The interpreter nearly had to be tied down, but he performed his duties admirably in the face of abject terror. "H-he s-s-s-says he w-want-ts a gr-reen car-d," the man stuttered.

His coworker gaped. "A green card?"

The wolf monster bared his teeth in what could only be called a grin and declared, "Si."

_Innocent _

Mayor Montez was absolutely terrified when he found Inviso-Bill waiting in his office. He couldn't remember being attacked by the spectral creature, but the pictures were all over the papers.

"I need to tell you something," the spook began. The terrified mayor nodded.

"When I 'attacked' you-" He actually used air quotes "-you were overshadowed by a ghost named Walker. He hates me. He grabbed onto me, dragged me outside, and shouted that I was attacking you. That's what really happened." He bowed his hoary head and whispered, "But innocent or not, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

_Internet_

"Honestly," Lancer grumbled, "what's so fantastic about Doomed?" No less than six students had gotten detention by playing in in the computer lab. The educator scowled.

But, he reasoned, he should probably try to understand it before getting too angry, so he booted up his computer and performed a Google search.

His decision had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the fact that he was a closet gamer.

Doomed… was a treasure. Tough enough to be a challenge with a fantastic prize at the end. Control of the entire World Wide Web! What could he possibly do with such an ability?

The teacher's grin widened. Time for some more educational websites.

_Invade _

Bullet didn't like to admit it, but he was kind of a yes-man. By the time Walker decided to take over Amity Park, breaking most of his own rules in the process, Bullet was too cowed to talk sense into him.

So here he was, possessing teenagers and tormenting a fiery young hero. "Get an afterlife!" Phantom shouted at him, murder in his voice. "Don't you have anything better to do than break your own rules and hurt my people? Get _out!_"

Long after they'd gone back, Bullet remembered the boy's words… and wondered if he was right.

_Irreconcilable _

One half was human: wimpy, lazy, smart aleck, none too bright, clueless, meek, apathetic, totally uninterested in the supernatural.

One half was ghostly: tough, hard-working, good at banter, cunning, watchful, bold, passionate, part of the paranormal and proud of it.

So many differences between the two halves masked their similarities. They hid how one always disappeared before the other showed up, how faces and names and voices and statures remained the same in both forms. They hid the slip-ups when one knew something only the other was privy to.

People did notice the similarities, but Fenton and Phantom were so dissimilar that no one made the connection.

_Itinerary _

"Lydia, bring me a map. I need to make the schedule."

The ghost obeyed, silently fetching the desired paper and handing it to her master. Freakshow inspected it with a practiced eye. Some small towns, hardly worth setting up camp in... two weeks in Chicago; that always paid well (in more ways than one)… some more small, boring towns…. What was this?

_Amity Park. _A wicked grin split his face. Yes, he'd heard of Amity Park, the most haunted town in America.

He starred its name. Circus Gothica could use some new recruits.


	10. J

_Jaded _

Bertrand sighed heavily as he followed his mistress's path. She was muttering to herself, plotting the defeat of the little half-breed freak who had humiliated her twice already.

If it were up to him, they would leave Danny Phantom alone. But it wasn't up to him, and even if it was, Spectra wouldn't listen. She never had, never would.

Why did he serve her, anyways? She was a powerful spirit in her own right. She didn't _need_ her shape-shifter.

"Bertrand!" she exclaimed. "Here's what I need you to do."

And he listened, and he obeyed, as he always did, always would.

_Jail _

Prince Aragon of the kingdom bearing his name was not happy. His sister- his idiot, meek, cowardly, weak sister- had the _gall_ to overthrow him, to toss him into this rank dungeon like a piece of _meat?_!

When he got out, he vowed, he would take horrible revenge. He'd strip her of her amulet and grind it into dust. He'd betroth her to the meanest, rudest, poorest ghost he could find! He'd make her work as a scullery maid! _He would make her pay… _

…as soon as he got out of prison.

_Jealous _

I'm jealous of the dipstick's girlfriend- not because she's still human or cool or anything, but because her boyfriend worships her. Not that they're dating officially, but everyone can see that they're head over heels for each other.

I wish I had a guy like that. No, I'm not in love with the dipstick- not my type- but… I want that kind of relationship. I want someone to look at me like he looks at her. Ghost or no, I want love.

So when Skulker asked me out, I said yes. Why not? If it failed, it failed. If it worked, then I'd have everything I ever wanted.

_Jerk _

Why, wondered Kitty, did she even bother anymore? It was obvious that Johnny cared more about other girls than her. She was second best to him, someone to go to when no one else wanted him.

She knew that, so why hadn't she done anything about it? Why had she stuck by his side through the long years, sharing his hurts and laughs and joys?

Because, whispered her innermost thoughts, he doesn't mean it. Sure, he gets distracted, but he's not trying to hurt you. He's careless, not cruel. He really does love you.

And that meant she could love him back.

_Joke _

Amorpho fought back laughter as he walked into the classroom. "Good morning class," he said in the teacher's voice.

"Morning, Mr. Lancer," the teens droned.

He jumped onto the desk. A few children blinked at him. "Today, kids, we're going to act out the most famous sword fights in literature. Catch! You and you, the finale of Hamlet! You and you, Darth Vader versus Luke Skywalker!"

"But that's a movie," protested one particularly nerdy-looking boy.

"So? Go crazy and have fun." He darted off.

Five minutes later, the real Lancer arrived to a scene of chaos. "WHAT IN HOMER'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?"

_Joy _

"She said yes, she said yes, she said yes!" Danny twirled around, arms akimbo, face alight with pure happiness. "She said yes, she said yes, she said YES!"

Two miles away, Sam laughed in an uncharacteristically un-Goth-like manner. After years of waiting and hoping and despairing, Danny had asked her out. He'd asked her out, he'd asked her out, he'd asked her out! She wanted to scream it from the rooftops, post it on the Internet, sing and dance and rejoice.

Tucker grinned. Danny and Sam were dating, just like he'd expected. He had bet money to collect.

_Judgment _

"We have found you guilty of several counts of fraud, wrongful imprisonment, torture, kidnapping, abuse, violations of various building regulations, invasion of the human world, and setting yourself up as ruler of the Barrens without the consent of the High Observant Council."

Walker glared balefully at the Observant before him. "Someone needed to get the Lawless Lands under control."

The councilor ignored him. "We have decided to banish you to the Barrens-"

That wasn't so bad, he thought.

"-where you will work without pay as a guard on the Fenton Portal. Only the Phantom and his human friends are allowed through."

_Jury _

Jack and Maddie had no idea how Danny had convinced the judge he wasn't being abused, or why they were now being charged with neglect instead of abuse. Their lawyer speculated that Danny had told him the true story of those scars, thereby vindicating them of that crime, but had been unable to deny that his parents hadn't noticed his wounds, hence the charge of neglect.

The judge had sent the jury out to make the final decision on the Danny… Fenton (he hesitated before saying that; they didn't know why) case twelve minutes ago. Now they had returned.

The lead juror met the judge's eyes and proclaimed, "Guilty."

_Just _

He was just a kid, just a teen, just a geek, just a loser, not a hero. He was the normal one, the balance for his friends' weirdness. Sure, he had a few skills, a few odd hobbies and tastes, but didn't everyone? That didn't stop him from being just a kid, just a regular guy.

But his friends didn't believe him when he told them so. Take now, for instance.

Danny was looking at him in exasperation. "How is it that I'm the one with ghost powers and you're the weird kid?"

_Juvenile _

"This is so stupid," Jazz muttered, glaring at the worn plush bear as though it was at fault. "I'm a grown woman. I hunt ghosts. I've helped save the world! I don't need this thing." She picked up the little toy. Her hand hovered over the garbage.

Bearbert looked back at her with one big button eye. Jazz's hand froze. She remembered happy afternoons from her childhood, playing and giggling without a care in the world. Could she really give up her constant companion?

She couldn't, and twenty-five years later, when her daughter faced the same decision, she couldn't give Bearbert up either.

* * *

How many of you thought the guy in "Just" was Danny? Be honest now, I did that on purpose.

This chapter is dedicated to gothsamphan14, who has decided to adopt some of these drabbles and turn them into full-length stories. You will all read these stories, understand? And you are going to like them.


	11. K

_Kalology _

Paullina didn't get it. She was just as hot as ever- more hot, in fact; she'd been showing more skin than usual lately- but Fenton (Fenton, Phantom, how had she not noticed that?) was still dating that Goth girl. She'd expected them to break up after the adrenaline rush from the Disasteroid wore off, but they were still going strong three months later.

"Why isn't he paying attention to me?" she whined to Star. "I'm prettier, and more popular, and richer. He should be all over me!"

"You know," said Jazz Fenton, who had been sitting quietly in a nearby corner, "that doesn't necessarily mean you're beautiful." And she walked away.

_Karma _

Her wish had been twisted, just as she had twisted the desires of so many others.

She had a kingdom, yes, and a husband, but… why was she not content? Everything she had ever wanted was within her grasp, yet she was not happy. She had been happier as a peasant haunting Amity Park, being thrown back and defeated by its child defender. Now, though, she was miserable.

She hadn't realized just how much paperwork was necessary for running a kingdom, how much time everything took up, how little issues, so easily ignored, grew into crushing problems.

She had her wish, but she wished she did not.

_Keepsake _

"Be careful with Bearbert, Amethyst. He's not as young as he used to be."

Jazz's daughter looked up at her with big violet eyes. "Daddy can fix that."

"He has more important things to do with his time powers than de-age an old teddy bear," the redhead sighed. "You need to learn to take care of these things without resorting to ghost powers."

The young halfa pouted, but she (very reluctantly) took her mother's lesson to heart. In years to come, whenever she was tempted to take shortcuts with her burgeoning powers, Jazz would meet her eyes and say, "Remember Bearbert." And Amethyst would.

_Kitty _

"Vladdy! How's your cat?"

The halfa froze. "What cat?" he squeaked, trying and failing to appear innocent. If Daniel had anything to do with this, he would pay.

"The little white one that lives in your mansion. Danny showed me pictures. It's a cute cat, V-man."

So _that_ was why the infernal little brat had been lurking around his home. Vlad had thought it was to search for clues to his next scheme, not to take blackmail photos of him with Maddie. Well, as long as this oaf didn't know the feline's name….

But naturally, he did.

_Klaxon _

The sirens blared. Lancer dropped his copy of _Hamlet._ "_Huckleberry Finn, _we're under attack! Everyone to the emergency ghost shelter, now!"

Danny's fists clenched. Why hadn't his ghost sense gone off? It looked like he'd have to sneak away instead of running off on a random 'bathroom break.'

"Fenton, get back in line! What're you trying to pull, running off during a ghost attack?"

Sweat broke out on the hybrid's forehead. "But Mr. Lancer-"

The alarms died. A sheepish voice on the intercom announced, "No need to panic. False alarm."

As they wandered back to class, Danny wondered what he would have done if the attack had been real.

_Knife _

Dora presented the dragon-hilted blade to Sam solemnly, as though it were a great state occasion. "This can in no way repay my debt to you," the princess admitted, "but hopefully it can make a start."

The Goth girl was touched. "Thanks, Do- I mean, thank you, your Majesty."

The women- one living, one dead; one royal, one merely rich- exchanged smiles. "No need to be so formal, Sam," the dragoness chided gently. "I still owe you."

"I know how you can finish repaying me," she replied. She drew her new blade and nearly cut open her face. "Get me some knife-fighting lessons, and I'll say we're even."

_Knight _

"That is nothing like a knight."

Vlad nodded, suppressing a sigh. Fright Knight was an invaluable servant, but he had little knowledge of the modern world. As such, he knew nothing about the chess comparisons Vlad used so frequently with his young nemesis. "I know it looks nothing like a knight. It-"

"It _is_ nothing like a knight," his vassal interrupted. "Its attacks are treacherous and underhanded. A true knight is more like- what was this one called again?"

"That's a rook," the halfa sighed.

"Like a rook," he continued. "Honest, straightforward, and honorable."

Vlad snorted and tossed the chess piece aside.

_Kraken _

Screaming humans fled in terror from the beach. Tentacles lashed after them, trying to drag them back into the water. Only well-aimed ecto-blasts from the city's defender kept the appendages from grabbing any hostages.

"Go away, you stupid squid!" Danny Phantom yelled. He directed his ice powers to the lake, trying to freeze it in place, but the cephalopod phased through the frost. "Ah, crud."

Five hours later, an exhausted Danny Fenton trudged into his home. His mother proffered a slice of pizza. "We were going to have calamari, but the ecto-converter brought it to life."

Danny's eye twitched.

_Kryptonite _

If Danny hadn't been in so much pain, he would have been insulted. Seriously, _flowers _were the height of Colonial-era ghost-hunting technology? Why couldn't it be ectoranium? _That, _at least, didn't mock his manliness.

Through the red haze of pain, he was vaguely aware of Tucker on his hands and knees. The techno-geek grabbed at the flowers as quickly as he could, stuffing them into his mouth. The hybrid almost smiled. His friend wouldn't eat plants if his own life depended on it, yet here he was, grubbing around for Danny's sake.

_My friends are my weakness's weakness. _

_Kung fu _

Maddie knew she shouldn't have agreed to teach Jack the martial arts, but she was helpless before those big puppy eyes of his. She'd said yes, and now they were in the basement's training room.

She loved her husband, but he was not a fast learner. In fact, he was quite slow. One year into his training, he had yet to earn his first belt.

But he was determined, she had to give him that. "You almost had it that time, honey. You were just a little off-balance. Let's try again…."

* * *

Yes, I am a Timely Intelligence fan. No idea why. It just appeals to me.

This chapter is dedicated to Garnet Sky, who came up with the basic premise of Knight.


	12. L

_Law _and _Leverage_ are part of other story arcs. The _Law _arc began with _Custody_ and the _Leverage_ began with _Blame._

* * *

_Lame_

Tucker slurped on his shake as he watched the evening's entertainment.

"Think I should help?" Danny whispered. He, too, watched the entertainment. He did not, however, seem to find it very entertaining.

"No," his friend replied.

"But-"

"For once in his life, Tucker is right," Sam interrupted. "The Guys in White are big boys, Danny. They can-" Something large and important-looking exploded. The agents ducked for cover. "Okay, maybe they can't take care of themselves."

Danny ducked under the table. Light flashed, and he was gone.

Tucker finished his shake. "That's just sad," he commented. "You'd think that after four years, they would know how to catch the Box Ghost."

_Language _

"_You want me to teach you English?_" Tucker, the human boy with a red beret on his head, was surprised.

"_Yes," _Wulf agreed. _"I want to stay in the Human World. I don't want to go back to Walker's prison." _

"_I don't blame you,"_ the human muttered. _"But English is a pretty big language, and it's got all these weird grammatical things that don't make any sense. Where do you want to start?" _

Wulf thought. He should probably learn fighting words. He and Danny Phantom would probably have to fight together, but first…. _"What is English for _amiko?"

Tucker grinned. "Friend."

_Law _

Judge Martin Smith was unsurprised when Danny Phantom phased through his ceiling and reverted to his human form. "My parents-" the hybrid began.

"-received their just punishment," the judge finished for him.

"There's nothing in the law about raising halfas," Danny snapped.

"There are, however, several laws about child neglect. I've seen your scars, Daniel. Unless they've been spending the past year in Siberia, they have no excuse for not noticing your injuries."

"I'm a good actor. And I'm used to the pain."

"Even at first?" the judge demanded. "Even the first time you broke three of your ribs at once?"

Danny flinched, but did not answer.

_Leverage _

Tucker blanched. He had _not_ meant to let that slip.

Valerie was frozen in horror. Maybe he could escape before she recovered? But no- she grabbed his wrist and hissed, "_How did you know about that?_"

The boy tried to squirm away. Then he paused. A grin split his face. "Yeah, I know you're the Red Huntress. And I can prove it, too!" That was a lie, but she didn't need to know that.

Valerie paled. "What do you want?"

The techno-geek's eyes narrowed. "Quit hunting Phantom," he ordered. "If you don't…." He walked away.

_Life _

Danni loved being a halfa. It was lonely, yes, but… this was who she was, and how could she not love it? She loved going ghost, changing back, feeling the dry-water sensation of the rings washing over her. She loved flying, walking, being tied to both worlds and neither.

But sometimes, when she couldn't fall asleep, she envied Danny- not just because he had friends and family and a steady home, but because he knew what it meant to be a halfa.

Only one who had been alive could comprehend the meaning of death.

_Lightning _

Vortex loved all kinds of weather- Category-5 hurricanes that destroyed entire cities, blizzards that swallowed entire states, tidal waves and earthquakes that leveled the land for miles around- but there was nothing like a good old-fashioned thunderstorm to make him laugh maniacally.

Lightning plumed from his hands, striking the tall buildings of Amity Park.

But then a blur of black and white with a hint of green shot from the sky into the weather ghost's shoulders. They fought, exchanging blasts of green and gold, before white light defeated him.

The spectacular multi-colored lightning show was the talk of the town.

_Loser _

"It was weird, Paullina dating Fenton," Kwan commented.

"I know, right?" Star agreed. "Completely bizarre. It was like she was overshadowed or something." She snorted.

Kwan laughed along. "Yeah, overshadowed. If _I _was a ghost, I'd go after someone cool. Definitely not a loser like Fenton."

The cheerleader shuddered. "No, never a loser. Unless the ghost was a loser in life and knew-" But here she cut off, appalled. "Didn't know any better," she continued after a pause.

"Or maybe," said Kwan quietly, "it knew that being a loser wasn't half-bad."

_Lost _

Danny had never been so lost in his life. He was stuck in an alternate dimension of spooky floating door and vast endlessness, in an alternate timeline, ten years into the future of aforementioned alternate timeline.

Yep, he was lost all right. And being bound didn't help.

He floated further into the Ghost Zone. Fan-flipping-tastic. Now he was even _more_ lost, and getting more lost every second- and his jerky future self was back in the past, doing who-knew-what to Sam and Tucker.

Danny shuddered. His struggles doubled in intensity.

He was lost and hurt and afraid, and if he didn't find a way out… he would lose everything.

_Luck _

Johnny Thirteen had been jinxed in life, and now he was jinxed in death. The one bright spot in his afterlife was Kitty- and of course, he had nearly ruined THAT more times than he could count. His ill fortune extended to relationships, too. Not in the sense that he was with the wrong person, but in how he just kept messing up.

He honestly didn't know what to expect when he proposed, whether she would grant him double sixes or snake's eyes.

But he was in luck, because she grabbed him and kissed his lips.

_Lyrics _

Danny hadn't thought it was possible for someone to sing worse than Tucker, but Paullina made him sound like Ember McLain. He flinched away from her, cursing his enhanced hearing.

"_Ghostly ghost hunter, gonna catch 'em all…."_ she wailed.

The hybrid frowned. No. She could _not _be singing about what he thought she was singing about.

"_He's Phantom! Danny Phantom! And he's gonna catch 'em all!_" The cheerleader finished on a horribly screechy high note that threatened to shatter glass.

"You have your own theme song?"

"Kill me now, Tucker."

He smirked. "Get used to it. That's my new standard ringtone."


	13. M

"Master" is part of a cycle that began with "Chivalry." "Missing" is probably the start of a new cycle. "Myth"... don't _you_ think that that would offend Pandora?

* * *

_Maelstrom _

Visions, pictures, sounds, smells- it was too much! All of time spread out before him, countless variations. Chronos's domain- it wasn't meant for mortals to see (but he wasn't mortal, not anymore. How long had he been dead?).

He saw empires rise and fall in the blink of an eye. He saw wars and treaties, migrations and inventions, breakthroughs and repressions….

"I must control this," he rasped. His voice was hoarse and dry.

So he focused on the constants in the swirling confusion of time- the boy and girl who were both dead and alive, and the red-haired woman who stood by their side.

_Marriage _

The vows had been exchanged; now it was time to celebrate.

Danny held his wife's (his wife! Sam was his wife!) hand, trying and failing not to laugh at Tucker's best man speech. The techno-geek couldn't explicitly reference their ghost-hunting adventures, not while so many ignorant humans were around, but he was very good at slipping in allusions that no one would understand.

"I keep thinking that this is a dream," Sam confessed softly.

"Me too," her husband agreed. There was a silly grin on his face; it had been there ever since the disguised Clockwork proclaimed them husband and wife. "And if it is, I never want to wake up."

_Master _

Having a centuries-old Halloween spirit as one's "loyal slave" was a lot like having a puppy- except that Cujo was content with a belly rub and game of fetch. The Fright Knight needed considerably more attention.

But that night, when Vlad came over for his weekly dinner, the Fright Knight proved his worth. Invisible to humans but not to halfas, he loomed menacingly behind Danny throughout the entire meal.

The second supper was over, Vlad fled. Danny smirked. Maybe there were benefits to this master thing after all.

_Metrophobia _

"Jazz, I have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" his sister asked, laying aside her (what else?) psychology book.

Danny fidgeted, blushed. "It's stupid, but… ever since the whole Christmas Ghost Writer thing, rhymes have freaked me out. They make my eyes start twitching."

"…You're kidding, right?"

"I w-" Danny cut off, searched around for Desiree. Not finding her, he whispered, "I wish."

The shrink-in-training shook her head. "You can handle alternate timelines, skeleton invasions, ice monsters bowing at your feet, and hordes of fangirls, but you freak out over _poetry_?"

"What can I say?" he groaned. "I'm special."

_Missing _

"Where _is_ he?" whispered Lola Foley. She clutched her husband's.

"I don't know," Maurice growled. "But when he gets b-"

The door creaked open. Both parents gasped in abject horror at the sight which greeted them.

Their son Tucker and his friend Sam held up their other friend Danny. The boy was unconscious, head lolling, blood dribbling from his mouth. His clothes were soaked with blood and a strange greenish substance.

For a few seconds, they were silent. Then Tucker asked, "Can Danny spend the night?"

Lola nodded faintly. "But-won't his parents notice?"

Her son snorted, a cynical adult. "You kidding? They never know when he's missing."

_Money _

"How much did we get today, Vid?" Download asked, plopping onto the couch. His muscles ached after a long day of ghost hunting.

"Fifteen hundred," his leader answered. "Five hundred each. Not bad for a day's work, huh?" She dropped down beside him. "Hey Thrash, can you get some Pepsi?"

"I can't wait until we get more cash," he commented, tossing them two pops. "Then we can have butlers and stuff to do this for us."

"That'll rock," Vid agreed. She laughed. "Why doesn't Phantom ask for cash?"

"Cause he's a ghost?" suggested Download. "What would a ghost do with cash, anyways?"

Thrash opened his pop. "Pepsi."

_Monument _

Danny gawked, open-mouthed and appalled, at the monstrosity Frostbite was showing him. "This is… nice. Really inaccurate, but really nice."

"I'm glad you like it, Great One!" the yeti exclaimed, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

'It' was a very large, very disproportionate statue depicting Danny's defeat of Pariah Dark. 'It,' as Danny had said, was also very inaccurate. For one thing, the Phantom in the statue was much taller than Pariah, whom he was crushing under his heel. For another, Phantom wore no armor but was wresting the Crown and Ring from his opponent.

Frostbite, beaming, trotted off. Danny winced. "I guess it's the thought that counts."

_Mother _

Having Box Lunch had been good for the Lunch Lady, everyone who knew her agreed. The ghost woman was still apt to chase people around the Ghost Zone trying to shove sausages down their throats, but she did it a great deal less often now. She had stopped commenting that random passersby needed more MEAT. She'd even stopped invading the Human World (well, mostly).

But the most important changes were in her worldview. How, she wondered, could she ever have thought that food was the most important thing in the world? It was vital, yes, but this bundle sleeping in her arms was so much more precious.

_Must _

In the end, he always did what he had to. Grades? Hah! Who cared about grades when Ember's songs took over the world? Reputation? He'd always been a loser, that freaky kid with freakier parents. Friendship? He and his friends were closer than ever!

So he really had no regrets as he stood near the portal. The army beyond it loomed ominously, thousands upon thousands of ghosts waiting for the signal to attack.

He knew that this battle would wound him severely, possibly kill him, but he did not budge. He waited, and when they came at him, he did what he had to do.

_Myth _

"I looked up the story they tell about you a few days ago," commented Pandora's newest young student.

The ghost warrior's eye twitched. "Ah. _That._"

"It was actually kind of funny," the halfa continued. "Because the literary Pandora is nothing like you."

"I haven't noticed," she growled.

"It's almost as inaccurate as the stories about Chronos. The real Master of All Time is a lot less…nasty."

Pandora arched a brow. "Only almost?" she queried.

For the first time, Danny realized he was in hot water. "Did I say _almost_? I meant _even more._"

"Good."


	14. N

_Namesake _

"DANNY! YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS!"

He groaned. "Jazz, it's seven on a Saturday. Have mercy."

"Trust me, it's totally worth it."

He groaned again, just for effect, and propped himself up. "Okay. What's so special about today's paper that you're waking me up at this ungodly hour on the weekend?"

She ignored her brother's whining. "Look at this."

Danny scanned the article. His jaw sagged. "No way…."

"Yes way."

"That's… both flattering and creepy."

"It's proof that people love you."

"The love is nice and all, but do they really have to name their babies after me?"

"Yes, Danny. Yes, they do."

_Nemesis _

Lancer leaned forward until his nose almost touched the computer screen. His hands danced over the keyboard, trying desperately to keep his character alive.

Aha! He'd spotted a weakness, a flaw in his enemy's plan. Smirking, the educator aimed and fired. The player known as Chaos dissolved into individual pixels.

"Whoohoo!" the teacher yelled, pumping his fist in exhilaration.

Two miles away, Sam punched her desk. She glared at the ruins of her avatar as though it were responsible for all the evils of the world. "Why does that guy keep beating me?"

_Never _

It was rare that an entire potential future disappeared so completely. Normally, when such a thing occurred, Clockwork ignored it. He had more important things to do than witness the death of an entire array of possibilities. His job was to focus on what had been, what was, and what would be.

This time, though, he paused his work to watch the nightmarish landscape created by Dan Phantom- and other worlds, created by other evil Phantoms- disintegrate. The universes unraveled at the seams, melting into nothingness. Soon, even their shadows were gone.

Clockwork allowed himself a rare smile. Danny Phantom would never break his promise.

_News _

Jack stared at CNN in openmouthed shock. Tiny noises of horror escaped his throat.

The evil, putrid, evil, ectoplasmic, evil, foul, evil, rotten Phantom kid had _joined the UN?_ He'd become a member of the most powerful entity on the _face of the entire freaking PLANET! _

This had to be some kind of cruel joke. It would have to be a very elaborate hoax, to make its way onto a nationally acclaimed news venue, but people had made mistakes before.

But, as he flipped through the channels, he found the same news on every station. Danny Phantom had joined the UN.

_Night _

"Out again, Valerie?"

The teenager flinched. "Daddy-"

"It's three in the morning, and it's a school night." Damien's arms were crossed, his face hard.

His daughter flinched. "Someone needs to keep Amity Park sa-"

"You realize that the town is filled with professional ghost hunters with a lot more experience than you?"

"You mean the Fentons? They're idiots."

"I mean Phantom."

As always, the mere mention of the ghost's name made Valerie's face contort into an ugly grimace of hate. "We can't trust that spook. Night, Dad."

"Valerie-"

She slammed the door behind her. The next night, she snuck out again.

_Normal _

There were times (okay, a lot of times) when Vlad envied Jack. He certainly didn't desire the man's personality or intellect- the halfa was quite glad that they did _not_ share those characteristics. No, he envied two things about Jack: his wife and his children.

But his jealousy was symptomatic of something deeper. Wives and children were ordinary things, the expected life path for every American male. Being a lonely old half-ghost with billions of dollars but no one to talk to but a creepy-looking cat was… not.

In the end, Vlad envied Jack simply because the human was normal, and the halfa was not.

_Note _

Headband, check. Warning, check. Horribly named tracking device, check. Ghost portal, check.

Jazz tugged on her headband one last time, just to ascertain that it was tight. It was.

She had no idea what that horrible ghost was or why he was impersonating her brother. All she knew was that he had defeated her easily- and that she had to stop him. Or, if not stop, delay him long enough for Danny to get her note and return from… wherever he might be.

She threw the Boomerang into the portal. "Please, Danny. Hurry."

And, grabbing the Fenton Peeler, ran to battle.

_Nubile _

"I don't get it," Tucker whined. "I'm single, I'm good-looking, I get great grades. Why won't girls go out with me?"

"Maybe because you're talking to your PDA," a random girl called. She and her friends burst into cruel laughter.

The techno-geek scowled, clutched it closer. "Quit making fun of Penda. She's my favorite."

The laughter intensified.

"Knock it off." Danny tried to defend his friend, but it failed. Still chortling, the girls walked away. Sighing, the halfa laid a hand on his friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, Tuck. You'll find someone."

He sighed. "Yeah. One day."

_Nuisance _

In the past three years, the citizens of Amity Park had grown adept at recognizing ghosts. They had to; if they didn't know who was crashing through their ceiling at one in the morning, they wouldn't know whether to run screaming, hide, or call the insurance company, content in the knowledge that this particular spook was harmless.

By 'this particular spook,' they meant the Box Ghost.

"Why?" he wailed (at one in the morning, after he'd crashed through the ceiling in an attempt to hide from Phantom). "Why does no one fear the Box Ghost?"

The kid he'd awakened groaned. "Maybe because you're a _box ghost?_"

_Nutrition _

"Meat!"

"Veggies!"

"Meat! It's full of protein and essential amino acids that make you strong! It provides long-lasting energy for hours of strenuous activity!"

"Veggies! They're filled with vitamins, minerals, and fiber! They're low in fat and save time because you don't have to cook them!"

"Sam, Tucker-"

"Shut it, Danni!" they barked.

The halfa gave her brother a nervous look. "Are they… always like this?"

"Yep," the other grumbled. He hadn't batted an eyelash throughout his friends' tirades. "Have been for years."

She shuddered, turned to the ultra-recyclo vegetarian and meat maniac. "No offense, guys, but I think I'll stick with being an omnivore."


	15. O

_Oath_

As his name suggested, Fright Knight was a _knight._ He was meant to serve a liege lord, someone noble and powerful. He was meant to be a bodyguard and dedicated servant, a feature at his master's side unless he'd been sent on a quest.

It was a matter of honor.

"Why do you let them do this to you?" he asked, fishing his new master out of his locker. "You are a powerful warrior even without my help."

"That's why," Danny answered. "I could take revenge, but then I'd become my enemies. And I promised never to do that."

_Obey _

Poor ghosts, enslaved to an evil master. Poor Danny_,_ who as a halfa was vulnerable to Freakshow's control.

And poor her, plummeting to her death with nothing and no one to stop her. Danny was after the staff and its crystal, the things he'd been ordered to retrieve.

Except that instead of diving for the magical items, he went for her instead. Strong arms caught her, lifted her up. She gasped softly, looked into his bloodied eyes. Sparks of green and blue warred with red.

It was a repeat of the tightrope. Sam smiled, confident he would win, and snuggled in to enjoy the ride.

_Oblivious _

Tucker could hardly believe it. He knew Danny was clueless, but this? "What do you mean you don't know why Elliot or whatever his name was made you mad?"

"Exactly what you just said," the halfa retorted. "I don't understand why, but when he was kissing her…." His fists clenched. His eyes burned green.

The techno-geek rubbed his forehead. "Danny," he said slowly, as though speaking to a small child, "you realize you're in love with Sam, right?"

Judging from the halfa's expression, he hadn't known at all.

His friend groaned. "And you wonder why we call you clueless."

_Octopus _

They were the first ghosts he had ever fought- indeed, the first ghosts (besides himself) that he had ever encountered. He'd encountered twice: once in his own basement as his father rambled on and his friends gawked, and once in Vlad's Wisconsin abode. Since then, though, they'd vanished.

Until now. The Guys in White had captured them, were planning horrible experiments. Thinly veiled torture, in other words.

Danny stroked the quivering animal's blobby head. "It'll be all right," he promised quietly. You're safe now." He sucked it and its brethren into his thermos.

How ironic, that the first ghosts he'd defeated were also the first ghosts he'd rescued from hunters.

_Odible _

Valerie loathed everything about him: cocky smile, popularity, elusiveness. She hated how his pictures dotted the town. She hated that the city was considering making him a statue.

She hated how he had used her, lied to her, hurt her. She hated how he claimed innocence, even after it was blatantly obvious to everyone with eyes that he was the scum of the earth. She hated how no one had those eyes, not even her own father.

And most of all, she hated how much she owed him. He had made her.

Valerie utterly despised Vlad Masters.

_Opaque _

"Okay, Fenton. You can do this. Come on. Come on. _You can do this._"

Squinting at his right arm, Danny focused as hard as he could. Sweat trickled down his forehead. "Come on. You're some kind of… ghost thing… now. Ghost things can go invisible."

But his arm remained stubbornly visible. Maybe it was a bit paler than before, but that was it.

White rings flashed around his waist. Danny jumped, still not used to the transformation. Then, hopefully, he looked back at his arm.

Still visible.

Danny sighed. It would take a long, long time to master these powers.

_Optimism _

_Maybe_, Tucker thought, _we can find some way around this. Maybe Mom and Dad will get so distracted by Danny's injuries that- okay, that won't happen. But maybe they'll fall asleep before Danny wakes up and we can convince them that this was just a dream._

Maurice and Lola were trying to help Danny. He was bleeding heavily, staining the sheets of Tucker's bed.

_Maybe I can come up with something that's not related to ghosts. Or I could say that we got caught on the sidelines of a fight. Maybe- _

Lola caught her son's eye. He gulped. _And maybe I'm just being an idiot. _

_Order _

Pariah- the true Pariah, not this foul husk- had been biding his time, gathering his strength. He knew from experience how futile it was to resist Djall all the time. That merely sapped him, gave the other spirit more control over their shared form.

But now the Ancients were here. Pariah seized his chance. Djall, accustomed to his hostage remaining quiet (except when he had a little _too_ much fun), hadn't expected his sudden surge of resistance. He slammed against the corners of their skull, momentarily dazed.

"Serve the Observants," the true king ordered, "not this travesty." His good eye was hard. "Destroy us."

_As you command, Majesty._

_Ovation _

Even as a human, when she hadn't gotten power from crowds shouting her name, Ember had loved this moment: the cheers, the cries of encore, encore, the deafening applause. Now that she was a ghost, able to actually feel their onslaught of positive energy, the sensation was even more addicting.

"EM-BER! EM-BER!"

"That's right!" she bellowed, arms flung wide. "Say my name!"

"Ember," growled a warning voice.

The ghost girl turned, exasperated. "For Pete's sake, dipstick, can't I do one concert without you glowering from the corner? Today, I'm making music for music's sake."

_Owe _

Danny has done more for me than anyone else. He showed me the truth about Vlad. He helped me escape the fruit loop. Then, after I'd abandoned him for months, he helped me get stabilized. He even made that deal with Valerie, his enemy, just to save me.

And, as if that hadn't been enough already, he gave me family. He adopted me, called me his twin. He introduced me to Jazz and Sam and Tucker.

So if he ever asks me for anything, I'll do it. I can never repay my debt to him, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

* * *

"Order" makes no sense unless you've read _Kith and Kin_ (and _Legacy of Lies, _I suppose). "Optimism" is a continuation of "Missing," and "Oath" is part of the Fright Knight arc.


	16. P

Caution: Do not read _Parent_ unless you are familiar with _Kith and Kin_ and _Legacy of Lies._ It will make no sense otherwise. If, however, you have read those works, you will find that particular drabble hilarious.

_Psychology_ could be taken as very light Timely Intelligence, which I ship.

* * *

_Pajamas _

It was Christmas time again, when all the ghosts of the Barrens assembled together to exchange gifts. This year they'd opted for a secret Santa system. Nocturne had drawn the Lunch Lady. She was fairly easy to shop for; she was expecting a baby and needed pacifiers. The ghost of sleep provided her with quite the collection.

Then it was his turn to open his gift. He tore open the wrapping and took out….

The partygoers erupted in laughter at Nocturne's adorable new stars-and-rockets footie pajamas. "WHO DID THIS!" he roared.

Amorpho waved didn't answer. He was too busy cackling.

_Panorama _

Kitty's arms were wrapped around Johnny's torso. "I'm ready."

Her boyfriend grinned. "Awesome." Beneath them, his motorbike rumbled.

And they were off, flying towards the sunset. They soared through the thick clouds, which left a thin layer of moisture over them and their ride. Then Johnny came to a halt.

The world was spread out below them. First was the layer of fantastically-shaped clouds, tinted with a thousand shades of pink and orange in the sun's remaining light. Then the ground, so far away, and the gorgeous sunset itself.

"I love you," Kitty whispered.

"Love you too, babe."

_Parent _

_Weirdness overload indeed,_ thinks Maurice Foley. He glances at the man before him, one of the most important and powerful in existence. Yep, he is there all right, not a hallucination but real flesh and ectoplasm. And looking nervous, too.

"May I help you?" he asks, trying to sound polite. What's the correct form of address for his guest? He doesn't know enough about ghosts.

The other man nods. He seems embarrassed. "You appear to be quite close to your son…."

And Maurice Foley realizes that Pariah Dark, King of All Ghosts, is asking him for parenting advice. So he obliges.

_Phantom _

The paperwork had taken almost an hour to fill out, but now it was ready. All he had to do was sign, and in the eyes of the Ghost Zone's law, Daniel James Fenton would become Daniel Alexander Fenton-Phantom.

It was the culmination of a process that had begun in the Fenton portal over a year ago, that had progressed through ghost fights, identity crises, and the cool confidence of self-knowledge. It was an acknowledgment that he was two separate people who were, deep deep down, very much the same. It confirmed his identity, making it permanent.

Danny signed the forms without a second thought.

_Pink _

"I like you, Jazz. I really do. What I do _not_ like… is your room."

"What's wrong with my room?"

"For one thing, it's infested with more stuffed animals than Toys 'R' Us. For another, it's located on the south side of the building. Too much sunlight."

"It helps me wake up in the morning. I need to get to school on time, you know."

"I know, I know. But that's not even the biggest issue."

"…It's the pink, isn't it."

"Well, yeah! I'm Goth. You're… not. And this room makes that pretty obvious."

"…It kind of does."

_Plagiarism _

"Hey, Tuck. Remember those comics about me at the sci-fi/fantasy convention?"

"Sort of. I mostly remember that _I was the only Tucker._" He scowled, folding his arms.

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's just because none of them were cool enough to pull you off. But about those comics- I never approved them. And I forgot to destroy them while I had the Reality Gauntlet."

"What're you getting at, man?"

"I honestly don't know. It's just kind of weird, that's all."

"I know what we should do about them," Tucker declared. "We should buy them all and laugh ourselves silly at everything they got wrong."

"Sounds good to me."

_Popular _

"This is so cool," giggled Sidney Poindexter. "I've never had positive attention from a group of my peers before!"

"That's too bad," said the jock who had invited the smaller ghost to sit with you. "You're actually a pretty cool guy, and not just because you beat up that halfa kid. You're all right, Specs."

"Specs?" he squealed. "You gave me my own _nickname?_" Were he not a ghost, he would have died of joy.

"Yeah. Because of your glasses."

Poindexter sniffled. "This is the best day of my afterlife! Thank you, Danny Phantom!"

_Portal _

He had never been _aware_ of anything in the way he was aware of the portal his parents were building. The machine was never far from his thoughts. It haunted his dreams, called to him even while he was awake. Its song was like that of a siren.

He showed more interest in it than in all his parents' other inventions combined. Every day at dinner, he asked how it was progressing, when it would be finished.

Even then, Danny Fenton, soon to become Danny Phantom, knew that the Fenton portal was the gate to his destiny.

_Psychology _

"Hey, you. With the eyeball." Jazz stalked forward, grabbed the Observant by the front of its robe. The ghost gawked, unable to believe that it was being manhandled by a mere human. "Do you have any idea how detrimental this environment is to Clockwork's psychological health? Between your constant nagging, the stress of his job, the enforced isolation, and your ridiculous non-interference policy, it's a miracle he hasn't been reduced to a raving madman!"

"Er…." The Observant really had no idea how to respond.

"I'll be here every Tuesday at seven to monitor his psychological health. Good _day._"

"You're right, Danny," Clockwork murmured to the giggling halfa. "I do like her."

_Push _

"No pain, no gain!" bellows Tetslaff. "Work it, ladies! _This means you, Fenton."_

"I'm trying," he called back. "I'm really trying!"

"Try harder, Fenton, or you'll fail this class. I don't think you can afford to flunk another one."

Danny grit his teeth but didn't answer. It was hard enough holding back his whimpers of pain with his mouth shut; it would be much worse if he were to talk.

But Tetslaff is right. He can't afford to fail gym. So, ignoring the protests of his broken leg, he puts on a burst of speed and finishes the mile run in ten minutes of agony.


	17. Q

_Quacks _

"Is it just me, Sam, or is Danny pretty much the only ghost hunter in this entire town who actually knows squat about ghosts?"

"No, Tuck, it really isn't."

"And yet people actually believe the Fentons when they rant on about how ghosts are subhuman ectoplasmic scum intent on destroying us. Or when the Guys in White say the same. Are we the only ones who've noticed that they've never actually knowingly spoken to a ghost?"

"Yup."

"We really should start making informative pamphlets, just to undo the damage that those fakes are doing."

"…Am I hallucinating, or did you really just come up with a good idea?"

_Quadruple _

Sweat rolled down Vlad's face. His eyes were squeezed shut with concentration. Come on, Masters-Plasmius. You can do this.

The first duplicate appeared easily enough. Of course it did- he'd been able to create one clone for almost two years now, ever since his third year of being half-ghost. The second followed. Once again, Vlad wasn't surprised. He'd perfected that clone a year ago.

Focus…focus… _focus…. _

A second head sprouted from his shoulders. It grew into another body, an exact replica of his own. Four half-ghosts now floated in the room.

Vlad beamed.

_Quango _

The Guys in White liked to boast that they were the governmentally-approved protectors of humanity against the ectoplasmic horde. The truth was… quite a bit different.

They were certainly _funded_ by the government (or at least they had been), but the United States by no means approved of them. That was why, the second President Hartman took office, he sent a bureau of investigators to learn the truth about the Guys in White. They called themselves the muckrakers, and the name was far too accurate for anyone's liking.

Suffice to say that if Vlad hadn't bought the Whitecoats, they would have been shut down in a heartbeat.

_Queen _

"You know, Vlad, your chess metaphor doesn't really work out. Take the queen piece, for example. Your queen would be my mom; mine would be… um, Danni or Jazz or Sam. I'm not quite sure. But Maddie isn't under your control; in fact, she doesn't like either of your halves. Besides, if she were queen, then I would actually be on your side, because that'd make me the prince. Except I'm obviously not on your side, because you're a fruit loop and I'm on the opposing team.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… _quit calling me a pawn!_"

_Quest _

"Am I the only one who thinks this is something out of a fairytale?" Danny grumbled. "I mean, we're rescuing a maiden fair from a dragon, who also happens to be an evil prince. Brothers Grimm much?"

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. He grinned. "You know, I kind of like this knight business. Maybe next we should search for the Holy Grail."

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's King Arthur, Tuck, not the Brothers Grimm."

"You know what I mean," he grumbled.

"Yeah, I do. Now be quiet- we're almost there."

They really shouldn't have bothered. Unlike fairytale princesses, Sam Manson was more than capable of saving herself.

_Quintet _

Most people thought that there was only one person protecting them from ghosts: Danny Phantom. What they didn't realize was that he was part of a team.

Sam and Tucker had been there every step of the way. They'd fought backup, lied for him, and saved his bacon more times than he could count.

Jazz was the next to come. She took a while to fit in, but eventually she became even better at covering for her brother than his friends were.

Danni was the last. She guarded the rest of the world so Danny could keep an eye on Amity Park.

Together, they were Team Phantom.

_Quip _

Tucker liked lists. He made lists of girls, of foods, of ghost attacks, of anything and everything he could think of. One day, bored almost to tears, he wrote a list of Danny's quips.

"My spidey sense is tingling." (This was said as a giant green spider tore through the walls)

"You guys do realize that you'll become ghosts one day too, right?" (That to Jack and Maddie as they ranted on about the dead's innate evil)

And last but certainly not least, "FOR THE LAST TIME, CHEESEHEAD- GET A CAT ALREADY!" (Whenever Vlad came up with another crazy scheme)

It was a long, long list.

_Quixotic _

At fourteen years of age, Paullina began constructing an elaborate fantasy world for herself. Well, actually it was her second fantasy world- her first, less severe delusion was that she was perfect in every way, a belief that continued throughout her life.

Her second delusion was the heartfelt belief that she and Danny Phantom were madly, irrevocably in love.

Now she was twenty-four years old. She curled up in front of the TV. Phantom was on the news, grinning madly.

"I got married last week," he announced, and Paullina's world came crashing down.

_Quiz _

He could do this. Never mind that he'd been up all night (some stupid ghost had attacked next door, and he couldn't get any sleep while _that_ was going on). Never mind that he'd completely forgotten about the reading assignment Lancer was testing them on until right now. He had more important things to do than read _To Kill a Mockingbird,_ thank you very much. The point was, he could _do_ this.

"Time's up," Lancer called.

Dash scowled at his half-completed sheet. He was so going to fail. Best find Fentoad for a little misplaced aggression.

_Quotidian _

Two years after the Fenton Portal opened (and, unbeknownst to the public, created Danny Phantom), ghost attacks were considered an everyday occurrence, as normal as the sun rising in the east. Two years ago, the sight of even the Box Ghost made children flee in terror. Now, people walked past flaming-haired robots without batting an eye.

Tiffany Snow (or rather, Lance Thunder, the unfortunate weatherman who had been roped into reporting on ghost attacks) stopped relating the more mundane battles. Children learned to recognize friendlier ghosts- and the more dangerous ones.

Life went on.

* * *

Quango= Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization. I found the word on a crossword helping site and was strongly reminded of the GiW.

Quotidian= everyday, ordinary, something that repeats itself regularly


	18. R

"Rage" is a continuation of the arc which began with "Delegate." "Reveal" is a continuation of the "Missing" story. "Right" ties in with "Custody." "Rue" takes place in _Spirited Away_ between chapters six and seven.

On another note, all these plot bunnies are up for adoption. If you see something you like, take it and go. Just keep the arcs together, please, and let me know what you're doing.

* * *

_Rant _

"I can't believe this! Stupid Lancer- doesn't he realize that I have more important things to do than read fifty pages of Shakespeare? And I definitely don't have time to write fifty essays about the fifty pages of Shakespeare, because I'm kind of a busy person. Heck, it's a miracle that I got even halfway through the stupid assignment, after fighting Skulker and the Box Ghost and Undergrowth and _the Box Ghost-_ if they just stayed in the Ghost Zone for one night, I might actually get my homework done for once!"

"Mr. … Fenton?"

"…Mr. Lancer! How much of that did you hear?"

_Rabid _

The first few days after Danny saved the world from the Disasteroid, Tucker had enjoyed himself. People nodded to him on the streets, grinning at the techno-geek who had helped them so much. Finally his parents realized what he had been doing; finally his teachers and peers appreciated him! Finally the lovely ladies of Casper High realized how dateable he actually was!

But now, as he ran from the mob of fan girls who, realizing that Danny Phantom was already taken, had decided to stalk his best friends, he really wished that Danny had just kept his mouth shut.

_Rage _

"How in the name of the Ancients did that little brat become the Ghost Zone's ambassador to the United Nations!" Vlad aimed an ecto-blast at the wall. His cat slunk away. Maddie knew better than to stay near her master when he was in one of _these_ moods.

"That little- that- that- that _cheese wheel!_"

Though he would never admit it, not even under torture, Vlad's anger was not because his nemesis had won yet again. It wasn't because so many of his plans had just been foiled.

It was because he was jealous that the Observants had chosen the younger, less experienced halfa over him.

_Reason _

They were both creatures of logic: him the calculating meddler, she the methodical psychologist-in-training. That logic told them that their emotions for each other were foolish and could only result in pain.

Like the adults they were, they discussed their options, agreed to ignore their love, wait for it to fade away. There were too many differences between them; a relationship would never work out. Best to stay friends and only friends.

Jazz stared through her window, thinking, remembering their discussion. In her hand she held an hourglass necklace.

Her lips twitched.

"Screw reason."

_Redeem _

The bitter taste of gall, of failure, coated her tongue. Her fists clenched involuntarily at the mere thought of It.

_Just get this over with,_ she told herself. _The longer you delay, the worse it's going to get. That's what Mama always says, anyways, and she's never been wrong before. _

So, shoving aside her pride, Paullina approached Sam Fenton. Or, as some would call her, Sam Phantom, though she wasn't a halfa like her world-famous husband.

"Sorry for missing your wedding," Paullina said. She thrust forward a package. "A gift. And… good luck."

Sam's face softened. "Good luck to you, too."

_Reveal _

Tucker had to explain to his parents just why Danny was bleeding and looked (he snorted with amusement) half-dead, as his mother said. But he couldn't just betray Danny's secret.

So he settled for a partial explanation.

Sam touched his shoulder, encouraging him silently. He smiled at the gesture- she hadn't told her parents yet either, but she could imagine how difficult it would be. Even a partial revelation….

"You know how Danny's parents are professional ghost hunters?"

Maurice leapt to his feet. "They make their son fight ghosts?"

"Um, no." Tucker looked at his feet. "We do this of our own free will."

_Right _

"Why did you have to call the cops on them?" Danny's voice was filled with agony.

Lancer glared at him. "Mr. Fenton, I discovered today that your body is covered in scars. Lots. And lots. Of scars. I can think of only one explanation as to how a boy your age who is not involved in gang activity could have gotten so many."

"…Bullying?"

"No, Mr. Fenton. Abusive parents."

"But they're not-"

"When my student has obviously been getting horribly injured, I _have _to report it. You might not realize this, but it _is _the right thing to do."

_Routine _

Get up at three in the morning because some weakling ghost was causing chaos. Try to sleep a few more hours before heading off to school. Skip two classes and be tardy for two more. Don't eat lunch because Technus was in the computer lab.

Bell rings. Go on patrol. Fight two or three more ghosts, usually animals- the humans preferred to attack during school hours. Go home, struggle through homework. Study, because if you don't, you won't be able to. Call Jazz and/or Danni. Hang with Sam and Tucker. Go home, go to bed.

Just another day in the half-life of Danny Phantom.

_Rue _

"We need to get rid of him now, before he does something horrible."

Filius Flitwick shook his head. "Your new American may have…gotten off to a bad start, Pomona, but I'm sure he will adjust."

The Head of Hufflepuff shook her head. "No. You all heard the You-Know-Who song. I'm telling you, that's only the beginning. The tip of the iceberg. If we don't let Danny Fenton go, he will- will- I don't even know what he'll do. It's too horrible for me to imagine."

Snape snorted, shook his head. "Don't be foolish. What could an ignorant American Muggle-born possibly do to us?"

Famous. Last. Words.

_Runt _

The dog who would eventually be known as Cujo had always been tiny. He had had many, many littermates- he didn't even know how many. They had all been born prematurely, and one of his siblings had died as a puppy. He, Cujo, had almost died as well.

But he'd survived, at least until Axiom decided to kill off their faithful, loyal guard dogs (Cujo was still rather bitter about that. Axiom, in his lofty opinion, was staffed by meanies).

Having been a runt all his life, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that he didn't have to be one in death.


	19. S

_Sand _

"Hey, Tucker? I thought you used the staff's power to get rid of Hotep-Ra's influence?"

"Yeah, I did." The techno-geek winced at the reminder of what had happened earlier that day. It hadn't been his most shining moment, even if controlling a sphinx had been pretty cool.

"Um… turns out you missed a spot." Danny blushed, the pink standing out against his green eyes. "Some sand got stuck in my jumpsuit."

Pause. Then laughter.

"It's not funny!" yelled the red-faced halfa.

"Yes it is!"

Danny went intangible. A truly impressive quantity of sand spilled from his jumpsuit, landing on Tucker.

"Oh, it's on," the other boy cackled. "Sand fight!"

_Saturn _

It had been there for centuries beyond counting, since the planet itself had formed. Undisturbed, not disturbing anyone, the ring fragment had floated serenely around its mother planet, the pale yellow globe that was all it knew.

Then the halfas came, bright green and pink and white and red, with the human followers in their silver vessel. They disturbed the gentle gas giant, whizzing through its rings, knocking debris aside in their haste to fight.

Some of the ring fragments fell inward, finally joining with the beautiful planet they had orbited for so long. But one, a green stone with an evil face, had another destination.

_Secret _

Look at him, the teacher who spends his free time online. He's not the only one with a secret.

See that man there? He's hiding something. A lot of somethings, actually. He hates his best friend, loves another man's wife, envies him his children. Oh, and he's a half-ghost who used supernatural powers to win the mayoral election.

See that girl? Looks normal, right? Would you believe that she's really the Red Huntress?

And there's her enemy, the black-haired boy standing there with his two friends. He's Danny Fenton, but he's also Danny Phantom.

What's your secret?

_Shield_

"Get away from them."

Laughter. The ghost's red eyes were amused, condescending. "Really, child? Do you think I can be driven off by words alone?"

Fierce eyes narrowed in determination. "Now get. Away. From them."

The ghost tossed an ecto-blast from one hand to the other. Then, without warning, she struck. The burst flew towards Danny- human Danny, who hadn't been able to get away to transform. He'd been trying to sneak away, silent as Jazz distracted their enemy, but it hadn't worked.

Jazz jumped between her brother and the blast.

Green eyes flamed. Rings flared, split. Onlookers gasped.

"Big mistake."

_Shift _

Amorpho's body melted. The bonds between his cells dissolved, fading into nothing. For a brief, eternal moment, he was nothing but a puddle of goo that hadn't yet fallen to the ground.

Focus.

A face, a form, appeared in his mind. He could see every line, every curve, even the wrinkles in his newest body's clothes. Tall, pale, mousy brown hair, laugh lines around his eyes.

Human.

The ghost peered into the mirror he always kept in his pocket. His face fell.

No matter how many times he reconstructed his own human body, he could never quite get the eyes.

_Sidekick_

"…Is that Slimer from the Ghost Busters movies? Because it really, really looks like Slimer from the Ghost Busters movies."

"I think it looks more like Slimer from the cartoon series, personally," Tucker replied sagely.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Whatever. My point is, doesn't that giant green sludge monster over there bear a startling resemblance to Slimer from Ghost Busters?"

"Yep."

The sludge monster approached. The humans tensed. They could probably take him/her/it down by themselves, but sludge monsters had some surprisingly nasty tricks up their sleeves.

But the creature didn't attack. "Hi! Is this where I turn in my 'become-Danny-Phantom's-newest-sidekick application?"

_Single _

Tucker was happy for them. Really. He really was. Plus he'd been bothering them for ages to get together, so he could hardly complain now that they'd finally listened, right?

And they were good friends about it, doing everything in their power to make sure he knew he was still part of their trio, not an awkward third wheel.

But Sam and Danny were still dating, and Tucker had no one. He couldn't have anyone, or at least not anyone human- he'd have to tell her Danny's secret, and he was too loyal to betray his friend like that.

Which was why, desperate for a prom partner, he asked Danni.

_Soul _

The story of how Danny Fenton-Phantom arrived in the Cavern of Souls is a novel in itself; all that matters is that, after adventure upon adventure, he was granted sanctuary… but only if the Soul-Seer found him worthy.

So here he was, standing nervously in a crystal cave, shuffling his feet as the blind elder stared at him. No, not at _him_- at his very soul, the manifestation of his being.

The elder smiled. "Be welcome in our city, Daniel Fenton-Phantom, Balance Keeper, Champion-Defender of the two worlds." And her eyes filled with tears.

_Start _

Sweat trickling down necks, backs, faces. Nervous glances at the clock, back and forth, back and forth. A few students tried to pass the time in other ways- reading books (though their eyes didn't move), looking at others (though they were really staring into space, fighting the urge to look at the clock again). Only one boy was unaffected.

Lancer entered, bearing the exams. The students inhaled as one.

Dan smiled, red flashing through his disguise's blue eyes. It was time- the beginning of the end.

_Sunset _

"Beautiful," Sam murmured.

"Tell me about it," her boyfriend laughed.

They soared above the low clouds, grateful that they weren't too high for a human to crest. They were close to the ground, almost close enough to be considered fog- but the lovebirds didn't care. They didn't care about their elevation, about the fact that what they were doing was probably bad for their eyes. They cared for nothing but the sunset, the vibrant reds and oranges, the purple creeping in from the east.

It was, as Sam had said, beautiful.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"…Will you marry me?"

* * *

"Sludge": Um, no, Slimer did not find that application online or anywhere. He made it himself. (Note to self: include Slimer in another drabble).

Any and all of these are up for adoption, provided you write for the entire story arc and let me know before publication.

-Corona


	20. T

"Table" is part of the sequence that began with "Miss." The others are stand-alone, though "Typhoon" seems really similar to something I've already written. Once again, everything here is up for adoption.

* * *

_Table _

The four of them sat around the Foleys' kitchen table, hands folded. Occasionally someone would sneak a glance at someone else; then he or she would flinch away.

Maurice broke the silence. "Tucker, you said that you hunt ghosts?" His hands clenched the table's edge, going white at the knuckles. "And now, because of that decision, your best friend is unconscious and bleeding on your bed."

Tucker winced. He stared into the table's knots, its faint stains and scars. "I know."

Sam laid a hand across his shoulder. "We all made our choice."

"Even Danny?"

"_Especially_ Danny."

_Team _

When Tucker had first named them Team Phantom, he'd been half-joking. At the time, he had believed that Danny, the kid with the superpowers, was the only part that mattered. He and Sam were just sidekicks, Robins to his Batman, useless in the grand scheme of things.

Boy, was he ever wrong.

Danny would never have survived without them. He needed their skills, their support, their love, their loyalty. And he got it.

The five members of Team Phantom- truly a team, not just a slightly bitter joke- were a well-oiled machine. Just the way they were meant to be.

_Thanksgiving _

Everyone was there: Maddie's sister Alicia, both sets of grandparents, Jack's brother and sister and their families, not to mention the four Fentons themselves. And they were all salivating.

But before they could feast, they had to name one thing they were thankful for: Alicia's home in Arkansas, the appearance of ghosts confirming that Jack and Maddie weren't insane, Joe Fenton's family's dog….

Then it was Jazz's turn. Smiling, she glanced at her brother and announced, "I'm thankful for Danny Phantom."

The red-faced halfa considered his own contribution. He smiled.

Becoming Phantom was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"So am I."

_Time _

The Observants didn't often help new ghosts gain control of their powers. If they did, they'd be swamped with demands again and again. But this young man, changing uncontrollably between elder and youth and baby, was the exception, for he held power over time itself.

Oh, yes, they would be glad to help him- at a price. Desperate, half-mad with the weight of his burden, the new ghost agreed, and so bound himself until the end of time.

Many, many years later, in full control of his powers, Clockwork loosed a reluctant sigh. How he wished he hadn't been such a fool.

_Tongue twisters _

Danni and Danny disdainfully dared Dash to dive down into the dark depths; Dash disdainfully dove down into the dark depths because Danni and Danny had dared him.

Tucker and Technus called truce to talk temporarily concerning terrific tech and, tangentially, terror pertaining to tech's transformation of today.

Sam speedily slapped specters with the Specter Speeder; screaming spooks skedaddled.

Jazz just judged Jack's fridge jam.

Maddie made molten maddened muffins with milk, marmalade, and magic ectoplasm, making her mate mad.

Ghosts boast inside their stolen hosts; those ghosts are toast; those ghosts will roast.

Try saying _that_ five times fast.

_Truce _

Ghostwriter was not hiding. He was simply standing around in the corner with his punch because he didn't want to risk running into the Lunch Lady under the mistletoe. He'd already endured that once, six or seven years ago, and had no desire to repeat the experience.

Besides, he'd always liked watching everyone at the annual Christmas party. It was always fun to watch enemies interact: Desiree flirting with the drunken Technus, Skulker chatting with his favorite prey, Undergrowth arguing with Walker about environmental regulations.

Skulker's prey looked up at him. Recognition flashed in his green eyes. "Hey Ghostwriter! What do you think is cooler, being an astronaut or being a hunter?"

_Trust _

"Valerie-"

"I don't want to hear it, Fenton. Or should I say _Phantom?_" She spat the words, the hated name.

"Fenton-Phantom, actually. But that's not the point. The point is-"

"The point is that I trusted you! The point is that I liked Fenton, maybe even more, and the whole time you were just using your secret identity to probe for weaknesses!" Tears glistened in her eyes.

"But I wasn't. I swear, Valerie, us dating had nothing to do with me trying to use you. Neither does my offer of friendship now." He held out a hand, waited.

She whirled. "And why should I trust you _now?_"

_Try _

"Did you seriously just ask me to the prom?" Danni exclaimed. Her blue eyes were wide with shock.

"Yeah," mumbled Tucker, blushing. "I thought… you know… you don't get a lot of chances to do teenager stuff. So why not give it a try?"

One eyebrow arched. "That all?" she asked dryly.

Tucker's blush darkened. He was _not _about to mention how desperate he was for a date. "Not really. We know each other pretty well, so why not go to the prom as friends?"

"Okay, then," she agreed.

He started. He'd thought she was out of his league. "Really?"

She grinned. "Sure. Why not?"

_Twin _

"…Um, Danny?"

"Yeah, Danni?"

"You know how I've been traveling the globe helping people out?"

"How could I forget?"

"Dunno. But anyways, a bunch of people have mistaken me for your twin sister. I think it's because of that growth spurt I went through after you got me the Ecto-Dejecto."

"Oh. What've you been telling them."

"…."

"Danni?"

"I… haven't exactly been denying it. I mean, I could if you wanted me to, but twins are a lot easier to explain than the whole cloning thing, and I don't think they'd believe that I'm your third cousin twice removed, so…."

"So we're twins now. Cool."

_Typhoon _

Vortex rode the storm. Its power surged through his veins, electrifying him, reinforcing his own strength, which in turn flowed back into the storm.

Beneath him, strong winds tore through delicate human dwellings, through trees and farms and roads. Men and animals fled, afraid for their lives.

Vortex snorted with contempt. Like they could ever escape him.

He inhaled deeply, smelling the ozone of lightning, the scent of fresh water, the halfa's-

Wait. The halfa wasn't supposed to be here!

A volley of ecto-blasts burst against his chest, bringing with them the end of the storm.


	21. U

"Understand" is part of the drabble series that began with "Custody." "Unite" is part of the "Delegate" arc.

* * *

_Ugly _

Paullina was beautiful, for a time- at least on the outside. Her skin was smooth and perfect, her lips full and moist, her figure divine, her face perfectly balanced, her hair a cascade of glossy waves.

So why wouldn't the ghost boy notice her?

For the first time in her life, she felt ugly. Maybe it was because she was wearing too much? Maybe he liked ghostly coloration, greens and blues instead of bronze. One day, after being rescued again, she asked.

"No offense, Miss Sanchez," he replied, "but I already have someone, and she's beautiful inside and out."

_Ulcer _

The diagnosis for his stomach pain really shouldn't have been a surprise, but somehow it still was. He'd been stressed, yes- any teacher whose school was perpetually attacked by ghosts would be- but was it really enough to give him an ulcer?

Yes and no- his diet had exacerbated the problem, as had the presence of some bacterium, but the long and short of it was that William Lancer needed medicine immediately.

Medicine which was promptly stolen by a ghost and returned by Danny Phantom.

From that day on, Danny Fenton did his best to avoid stressing Lancer out.

_Ululation _

Danny had never been so humiliated in his entire half-life. Bad enough that Frostbite was holding an enormous festival in his honor, that drunken yetis had already fallen at his feet. Did they really have to make a song about his defeat of Pariah Dark?

Evidently.

"_Girded in might and in fierceness and in hope,  
The Phantom heroic flew forth to the Keep  
With no army nor weapon (save his own soul)  
To banish Pariah to the Forever Sleep…."_

Well, Danny mused, at least they had the story mostly right. Mostly. He sighed as another section began.

"_Phantom the warrior, Phantom the hero…."_

_Underestimate _

The ghosts didn't understand why they couldn't defeat Amity Park's defender. He was just a child, half-dead for mere months, untrained and completely ignorant in the ways of the Underworld. He didn't know what he was doing, relying instead on dumb luck and good friends to save his bacon.

Was he really just that lucky? It was statistically unlikely but the only explanation that made sense. They told themselves that his special power was to produce good luck, nothing more.

Then he defeated Pariah Dark himself, and the ghosts ate their words.

_Undermine _

Sam had never before taken advantage of her parents' society contacts, but now she milked them for everything they were worth. A hint dropped here, a whisper there, and she could erode the support of _Mayor_ Vlad.

Tucker had always been good with technology, and the internet was no exception. He monitored message boards, blogs, anything and everything that protested Vlad's term. He too spread the truth whenever he could.

Danny hadn't really used his fame as Phantom, but now he did. He made comments here and there, disapproving of Vlad, supporting anyone else.

When the next election came around, the elder halfa lost.

_Understand _

"I don't get it, Maddie," Jack complained. "How can anyone think that we abused or neglected Danny?"

She sighed, stared at her clasped hands. "I think it has something to do with the dozens of scars covering his body." Her voice broke. "What I don't get is, how could we not notice that? And how could anyone do something like that to our baby?"

Jack winced. "I don't know," he whispered. "I don't think anyone does. They tell me that Danny hasn't been talking to anyone."

Maddie's hands shifted. "I just wish I knew why he doesn't want to be understood."

_Unicorn _

Skulker was not afraid. He was NOT.

The creatures were deceptively elegant, graceful, serene, but the hunter knew better. He had seen them at their worst. Inspired by the power-mad Box Ghost, they had fallen on him, attempted to destroy him.

He doubted that the monstrous beasts had needed much provocation. Pretty as they were, they were still evil. Poisonous frogs had the brightest colors; lions were killing machines.

He was simply cautious, as any hunter would be when faced with prey so dangerous. Caution was good, caution was reasonable and not something to mock.

So why wouldn't the Box Ghost stop laughing?

_Unique _

"You okay, Danny?"

"Yeah. I'm just weirded out that Spectra was an evil ghost all this time and nobody noticed. That's kind of sad."

"Tell me about it, little brother." A pause. "And you do know that, since she's an evil ghost, she lied about pretty much everything she told you, right? She had to lie."

"…She said I was a freak."

"She lied."

"Did she? I am pretty different." Not a human, not a ghost….

"Of course you're different, but that's not bad. It makes you unique, not a freak." A hand on the shoulder. "I promise."

_Unite _

When Danny became the Ghost Zone's official ambassador to the United Nations, he hadn't expected much. A few smiles and nods, maybe a meaningless treaty or two.

He sure hadn't expected this- not that he was complaining. He had dreamt of this city for years, ever since realizing just how much it hurt to be the only one working for peace.

Now he wasn't alone anymore.

Convergence, the Gray City, had been founded in the Aleutian Islands. It was (or so Danny hoped) the first of many human-and-ghost cities. Danni and Tucker and Jazz and Clockwork and Sam were already planning to move to this miracle city.

His home.

_Urchin _

Youngblood was a street kid, plain and simple. As a human, he had entertained himself with his vivid imagination: he was a pirate, a rock star, an astronaut or explorer. But his imagination couldn't hide the truth: he was nothing more than another street rat. No one cared for him, no one would help him, so he'd better look out for himself. He died that way, alone and, he thought, unwanted.

"That's nonsense, you know," Jazz snapped. She glared at her patient. "What about your friends? They must have grieved. What about the people who fed you and gave you money? They did too. And so do I."


	22. V

__"Verify" is part of the cycle that began with "Blame."

* * *

_Vacancy _

Chuck Ornster couldn't believe his luck. The house was in perfect condition, located in a great neighborhood, close to schools, and insanely cheap. It had no flaws in design or décor, just perfection. And it was cheap! He and Millie would be lucky to raise their family there.

So why was the real estate agent so surprised when they took the house?

On move-in day, they found that out. Their new neighbors, two crackpots in jumpsuits, dragged their young children over to blather on about ghosts. Ghosts! For hours and hours on end.

Chuck's eye began to twitch.

Jazzy sighed. "And they wonder why we never keep neighbors."

_Vaccine _

Sweat trickled down Danny's brow, into his eyes, matting his hair against his face. He didn't feel good. His throat was dry, his palms slick with sweat.

This was ridiculous! He was Danny Fenton-Phantom. He had fought nightmares, conquered monsters that even other ghosts feared. Was he really so afraid of a simple shot?

Jazz watched her nervous brother with a hollow heart. He hadn't been so afraid before the accident, before needles came to mean betrayal and experimentation. Danny wasn't afraid of the shot, of the vaccine. He was afraid of the needle in his nightmares.

_Vampire_

"Wait. The only other halfa in the universe is a creepy aristocratic guy, fabulously wealthy, long-haired, who wears a cape in his ghost form and is named _Vlad_? Wow, Danny, that's… quite the coincidence. Hey, Sam, do you think vampires are real?"

"Just because Vlad Masters has an Eastern European name and a kind of dark glamor-"

"What do you mean, 'dark glamor'? He wants to marry Mom and kill Dad!"

"-doesn't mean he's a vampire. For one thing, he'd need fangs."

"Oh, didn't I mention that? He has fangs."

"…Tucker, I think he might just be a vampire."

_Vendor _

"Flour sack getting in the way of your life? Need someone to give you that life back? Well, look no further, ladies and gents! Tucker Foley, flour sack sitter extraordinaire, will be glad to take your little bundle of joy out of your hands. For a nominal fee, I'll-"

"We get the idea, Foley," Star exclaimed. She thrust her flour sack into his arms. "How much?" Behind her, a crowd of students organized themselves into a line.

Tucker grinned. This was the best idea he'd had in… well… ever! He was almost grateful to Coach Tetslaff for assigning them this stupid project.

Almost.

_Verify _

Valerie stared mutely at the figures before her. Tiny tremors wracked her body, made her hair fall before her bulging eyes. She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it- but the numbers didn't lie. They just confirmed what she thought had been a lie.

Tucker Foley was right. Statistically speaking, Danny Phantom was responsible for almost no property damage. He had caused less than any of the ghost hunters.

He'd caused less harm than she had.

Valerie squeezed shut her eyes, bit her bottom lip. It galled her to admit this, but…. It looked like she owed Tucker- and Phantom- an apology.

_Victory _

Face flushed with exhilaration, Danny reverted to human form. Part of him was surprised by how easy it was to summon the rings, the transformation. He'd struggled with the change (not to mention the rest of his shiny new powers) ever since the accident.

But he'd won! He'd beaten those weird glowy octopus things, and right behind his father's back, too! So what if he was exhausted and panting? He had _won_.

At that moment, Danny Fenton- Danny _Phantom_- no, Danny Fenton-Phantom, neither and both at the same time- knew that he'd found the reason for his existence. And he was glad.

_Vigil _

Clockwork was a watcher, a waiter. He didn't often get the opportunity to meddle; most of his time was spent floating in his tower keeping an eye on the time streams. In those long centuries of watching, he had taught himself to remain detached from the often horrible things he saw.

But now….

He watched in silence as the young woman sat by her brother's bedside, listened to the beeping and bleeping of the hospital machines. His powers assured him that Danny would be fine, just like he'd told Jazz, but the sight of the halfa so still and silent brought a lump to his throat. He would be glad indeed when Danny recovered.

_Voice_

Ember clutched at her throat. One more time, she told herself. She would try this one more time. "Do re mi fa-"

Her voice broke, shattered.

No. Surely the dipstick (no, not the dipstick. Not anymore) hadn't really broken her voice. He couldn't have. Surely there was enough of the old him left that he couldn't?

"Do re-"

Her voice- her being- broke once again. She couldn't sing. Her powers were gone, shattered, destroyed.

She couldn't sing ever again. He had done more than destroy her vocal cords. He had ruined her.

Ember learned that day that, while she was unable to sing, she was not unable to sob.

_Void _

He floated.

He had forgotten long ago who he was or how he had gotten here, forgotten everything but the bone-chilling cold of deep space, the emptiness of his lungs, the crushing loneliness. He had a vague feeling that this wasn't meant to be, that he was meant for something else, but had no idea what that Other Thing might be. So he floated, waiting, watching the sights (planets, asteroids, stars, whispered a half-forgotten corner of his mind) go by.

Like this one, pretty blue and green (like _his_ eyes, his mind hissed), coming closer all the time.

_Vulnerable _

She was so tiny, so much smaller than her donor, so very dependent on him. A part of him felt almost guilty about using her like this, but he quashed her conscience. "Danielle, dear? I have a job for you…."

She was melting, dissolving into the goop that had given her birth. He remembered the tears in her eyes, quashed a sudden tear in his own eye. It was better this way.

She left, and he was more alone than ever before.

Danielle Fenton-Phantom soared, high and free and joyous, and promised herself that she would never be weak again.


	23. W

"Wake" is part of the "Missing" arc. "Worship" contains references to "Cult," which wasn't an arc until now. "Wizards" obviously takes place in the _Spirited Away_ universe. All stories are still up for adoption!

* * *

_Wail _

Waves of sound, deadly and inexorable as a tsunami. They rippled, green energy pounding into the city's protection. An awful shrieking filled the peoples' ears, filled their hearts with despair.

Dan Phantom smiled, a cruel twist of his lips, fangs gleaming in the light. He had work to do.

And Amity Park died.

Much later, long before, in another time and place, another wail split the darkness, set dogs a-howling, made people cover their ears. The invading army braced themselves against the waves of sound, but Danny Phantom's power ripped through them, deadly and inexorable as a tsunami.

And Amity Park was saved.

_Wake _

He was on Tucker's bed. Ew. But more to the point, why was he on Tucker's bed? Oh, yeah, the fight. The fight!

Danny jerked up, heart pounding. White rings materialized around his waist, began to split. He had to finish the fight, had to-

"Danny?"

"Mr. Foley?"

From his place between his parents, Tucker provided, "They saw me sneak in. They… they say that if they don't get a very, very good explanation soon, they're going to call the cops. I figured that it's your secret, your call."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Did the ghost get away?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm going ghost."

_Weird _

They were both different, both abnormal. And that was why Sam loved them.

That's not to say she loved Tucker in the same way she loved Danny. The techno-geek was her brother, her confidante, her friend. The halfa was her soul mate, her partner, and (she hoped) her future husband. But it hadn't always been that way. Once, when they were too young for anything non-platonic, she had adored them in the same way, and for the same reason.

Danny and Tucker were different. They didn't fit in, didn't quite click.

Sam liked that.

_Whelp _

"Sometimes I think that you care more about the dipstick than me!"

Skulker sat alone on an island, staring off into the distance. Ember's words echoed in his head, an unwelcome sound track for his unwelcome thoughts. Didn't she know that his hunt was important? Didn't she understand the thrill of the chase, the joy of a real challenge? Didn't she despise the halfa as well, want his pelt upon their wall?

"Who's it going to be?"

The Ghost Zone's (self-proclaimed) Greatest Hunter huffed. Ember was usually quite intelligent, but not about the depth of his feelings for her. If she'd known, she wouldn't have had to ask.

_Whole _

When Desiree wiped his memories, Danny couldn't help but feel… incomplete. Like a soldier who could still feel his missing arm, he was utterly, irrationally convinced that _something_ vital was missing from his body, that something was gone. That he was broken inside, empty, hollow.

Tucker helped fill that space a bit, as did his family and that weird girl (Sam, her name was), but they couldn't complete him.

Not until the ghost portal activated, shooting thousands of volts of ectoplasm-charged electricity through his veins, rewriting his very DNA, did the emptiness go away. After all, it takes two halves to make a whole.

_Wish _

The voice crooned in his mind, a low, accented alto. _You have the power. Do it!_

This wasn't the first time he'd heard the voice, a tiny whisper at the edges of his mind and heart. It had told him to help that surfer dude, to overshadow Paullina for that prank on his best friend, and a couple of other things. But this was the first time the voice had given him a suggestion- an order- that he disagreed with.

_No way,_ he told the voice. _Danny's my friend. I'm not going to hurt him!_

The voice laughed. Desiree's laugh, he realized with a chill. _I'm afraid, Mr. Foley, that you don't have any choice._

_Wizards _

"You're a wizard, Mr. Fenton."

Danny gazed disinterestedly at the government woman. "And?"

She blinked, pulled up short. "What do you mean, and?"

"Okay, I've apparently got magical powers." And the standard ghost powers, and elemental abilities, and some other things, but those aren't relevant to our discussion and I'm definitely not telling you about them. "What's that mean?"

"It means that you are a citizen of the wizarding world."

Blank stare.

The adult Fentons, a bit less blasé than their son, woke from their stupor. "Oh!" Jack exclaimed. "Can he use magic to hunt ghosts?"

"Of course."

Jack's whoop of joy was audible halfway down the street.

_Worship _

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the conversation we had a few years ago about those lunatics who think I'm a demigod and have created shrines for me?"

"…Please tell me you're not going where I think you're going."

"If you remember, I mentioned that you would also experience the joys of an obsessive cult."

"Oh, please no!"

"The Order of the Most Amazing Phantom held its first service today. You've already got a high priest, a high priestess, several hymns and liturgical formulae-"

"Kill me now, Clockwork."

"I don't think your new worshippers would approve of that, Daniel."

"…Why me?"

_Write _

Prison wasn't half as bad as Ghostwriter had thought it would be. Sure, Walker was a bit of a jerk (okay, a lot of a jerk, but he wasn't about to say that out loud!). Sure, his cellmate snored like a chainsaw. Sure, the jail's library was rather limited. But that didn't matter.

He was a low-security prisoner, so he got a fair amount of free time. That meant that he got to write for hours each day, with pen and paper or typewriter or, once or twice, a computer. He had so many ideas, so many stories waiting to be told!

He almost had to thank the Phantom.

_Wuss _

Fen-toad was a wimp, a loser, a weakling. He was the polar opposite of Dash Baxter, quarterback extraordinaire. He was Dash's inferior, his slave.

So why, the jock wondered, was it Fen-toenail who had come up with the plan to save their parents? Sure, the kid's own 'rents hunted ghosts, but even they would balk at raiding a ghostly pirate ship (or maybe not. Okay, probably not. But even they'd use more caution!).

And, more importantly, why was Dash going along with his plan?

Not for any conscious reason, but for the unrecognized glimpse of silver and green. That was why he followed.


	24. X

_X axis _

Most people were stuck on the ground, able to go back and forward, left and right, but never up and down. Oh, sure, they could jump. They could climb. They could even board jets, jetpacks, carnival rides, hover boards like the Red Huntress's, anything that gave them the illusion of flight. But they were still, fundamentally, irrevocably, bound to the ground. They had never known the utter freedom of the skies, would never know until the day of their deaths.

Danny Fenton-Phantom was not most people. He could fly. He was free.

_X chromosome _

There was no rational explanation as to what had happened. He'd checked over the DNA dozens of times, and each time, it had been XY. Not XX.

Yet the clone before him was plainly XX. He'd taken samples of her DNA when she came out apparently female, fearing that the cloning process had created defects (well, more defects than the melting-into-goop thing), but no. The DNA was XX, not XY, and he had no idea how that had happened.

Vlad rubbed his temples with a groan. "I should have known that anything involving Daniel would be unnecessarily difficult…."

_X-ray _

"Do I really need to get one?" Tucker whined, eyeing the enormous machine warily. "I mean, we know that my arm's broken-" Thank you, Spectra "-and we know I need a cast-" Once again, _thank you_ "-so I think that we should just get me a cast and let me out ASAP. What do you say, Doc?"

"I need to know where in your arm the break is and how bad."

Tucker groaned. "So you won't let me out?"

His mother patted his shoulder, a silent comfort. "Can you give us a time estimate?"

"Just a couple more hours…."

Tucker moaned. He hated hospitals.

_Xeme _

"Ah, you're not that scary-looking," Danny observed, floating next to the glowing ghost gull. "You're kind of cu- ahhh!" He jerked back with a yelp as the no-longer-cute ghost gull warped into an avian monstrosity that could swallow him whole.

"He really should have learned his lesson after Cujo," Tucker observed, watching his friend shoot ecto-blasts at the bird monster. He winced as it tried to bite the halfa. "Ouch. And it looks like it's immune to ice."

"Probably an arctic species," Sam guessed. "Oh, look."

"One, two, three!"

They fired, and the ghost collapsed.

_Xenophile _

The sad part about being the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter was that, after a while, the prey wasn't quite as exciting. Oh, yes, there was a great deal of variety in the green-skied dimension- it wasn't called the Infinite Realm for nothing- but a lot of that variety was a variation on a theme. Things with two heads, things with two sizes, blah blah blah. He'd hunted things with three heads and four sizes, blah blah blah. It was getting old!

Until he heard rumors of a halfa he was actually allowed to hunt. Danny Fenton, the Phantom of Amity Park.

Looked like he'd be paying the Human Realm a visit.

_Xenophobe _

There was one qualifying personality trait which allowed a person to become a Guy in White. It wasn't competence. It wasn't organization. It wasn't loyalty. No, what let a person become a Whitecoat was pure, unmitigated, undiluted, all-consuming hatred of ghosts.

"So why didn't you guys join?" Danny asked his parents one day.

His mother laughed. "They want to destroy the ghosts right away, honey. We want to interrogate them first, learn more about them."

"Really?"

"Of course," his father said. "And when we're done studying, then we can tear them apart!"

"Gotcha." In all honesty, that was more than he'd hoped for.

_Xeric _

Who would have thought that there was a desert so close to Amity Park? Yet here he was, having followed the halfa and his weird human family out of the city, into the country. Youngblood was vaguely certain that there was no particular reason for a desert to exist here, but, being a child, he didn't particularly care. All he cared about was how fitting his cowboy costume was now.

"For it to be really accurate, we'd have to be down south a few hundred miles," Bones informed him.

Youngblood scowled. "Bones?"

"Yes?" A pause. "Oh. Shutting up now."

"Yee-haw."

_Xmas _

Danny had hated the holiday for as long as he could remember. He hated it with the same fiery passion with which Tucker regarded hospitals and Sam the color pink.

Or at least, he had last year. This year… well, he felt a bit bad about how much trouble he'd caused while learning his lesson, but he didn't mind it. Well, not as much.

So, in the spirit of the season, he (voluntarily!) flew into Walker's prison. The guards eyed him suspiciously but couldn't do anything. Grinning nervously, the halfa approached the nearest guard. "So, which cell belongs to Ghostwriter?"

_Xylem _

Cells split, burst, then grew strong enough to repeat the process again. And again. And again. Fleshy material became hard, woody.

Undergrowth smiled. Originally, the stalks which had connected him to his slaves was made of phloem, not the harder, hardier xylem cells. But now he was strong enough to strengthen their connection, to bring them even more thoroughly under his control.

Good.

Then the Phantom came, wielding ice and winter in his hands, driving the verdant green away. Freeing the slaves.

For the next month, nurses throughout Amity Park spent a great deal of their time removing splinters from citizens' heads.

_Xyst _

Since the outdoor field had been turned into a small jungle by that freaky mind-controlling plant ghost, Dash and his fellow athletes were forced to hold their practice sessions inside. That was a good thing and a bad thing- they didn't have to fight off any mutant plants which might have escaped Phantom's purge, but dozens of sweaty guys in one room for hours made for an exceedingly unpleasant smell.

The next day, as he passed by the gym, Danny's eyes began to water as he sprinted off to his locker. Sometimes, enhanced senses were more trouble than they were worth.

* * *

Does anyone have any good Z words? I have my Y words, but nothing for the last chapter.

I'm about halfway done with the next chapter of "Monarch or Monster?" Hopefully it'll be up next week.

-Corona


	25. Y

_Y2K_

Ten-year-old Tucker Foley stared at the TV. He chewed his bottom lip, twiddled his thumbs.

"Tucker," sighed his mother. "The world isn't going to end."

Her son ignored her. Five minutes left until all his precious, beautiful technology- no. Best not to think about it. He had already said his goodbyes, just in case, and now all he could do was wait in tense silence until he knew.

"Tucker." Lola's voice was louder now, more insistent. "I've told you a thousand times, the world will not end in four minutes."

Once again, he ignored her. Lola huffed.

Maurice hid his laughter behind his hand.

_Yacht _

"-and I'd let you stay on my yacht!"

Danny snorted. Vlad had been listing reasons that he should join the older halfa. They ranged from compelling to fruit-loopy to inane. "No thanks, cheesehead. Sam already has a yacht, and I'll bet anything that it's bigger and better than yours."

"Anything? What about your mother's cell phone number?"

"Only if you agree to announce your fruit loop status to the entire city when I win."

"Cocky, aren't we, little badger?"

Two day later, the mayor called a press conference. "I would like to announce…" a wince "…that I am a seriously messed-up fruit loop."

_Yale _

Another day, another college acceptance letter. Ivy League this time, one of the biggest names in the country. Jazz ran her fingers down the thick paper, a sad smile on her face. She was already composing her rejection.

"You know," said a voice from behind her, "there's no reason to give up your dreams just because of me."

"I know, little brother. And I'm not." She held out another letter, acceptance to a much closer, just as prestigious (though less famous) school.

Danny smiled, relief lighting up his face. "Good."

_Yeast _

"Okay, I can almost understand the turkeys you have to deal with every year. I mean, they were alive at one point-"

"Which is why eating them is wrong!" Sam interjected.

Tucker ignored her. "-but seriously, a loaf of homemade bread just came to life on you when your mom added the yeast?"

"Yes," Danny's voice snapped through the cell phone. "And now it's terrorizing the city. If you turn on the news, I think you'll see it."

Sam clicked the remote, changing the channel to the local news. Sure enough, a giant monster was attacking the city, Danny Phantom hot on its tail.

"Man. Mrs. Fenton has _got_ to stop cooking."

_Yes _

What will you do, little Phantom, young halfa so full of fire and strength? Will you use that power (so bright, so blazing) to protect others, to ward against the raging storm? Will you offer the hand of protection even to your enemies when they are in danger? Will you stand by your friends day in and day out, a rock, a refuge? Will you be a candle in the night, a lighthouse, the glimpse of a new dawn? Will you be a hero for the ages?

No, Daniel, don't say a word. I already know your answer.

_Yeti _

"Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a picture of a snow monster in your cell phone? No, wait. There are several pictures of snow monsters on your cell phone."

"Haven't I told you about the Far Frozen yet?"

"No."

"Oops. Well, no time like the present, right?"

"Are you telling me that there's an entire province in the Ghost Zone that's populated by yetis?"

"Yeah. They're great people. Remember when Vlad got frozen into an ice sculpture and then dumped in the middle of town?"

"Your yeti friends did that?"

"Yep."

"Then I like them already."

_Yorkshire terrier _

The female smelled nice and didn't growl when he approached. Instead, her tail wagged, her ears lifted most becomingly. Cujo's own tail perked up. He gave a tiny yip of invitation. The female hound, her silver fur glowing softly, barked back.

"Aw," Sam crooned. "Look who found a friend."

"They are pretty adorable," Jazz admitted, watching the two dogs tug at a stick.

Cujo grew, eyes filling with red, fangs tearing into the hapless stick. The Yorkie, though, didn't bat an eye. Instead, she expanded to match his new size, batted her new best friend across the muzzle.

Jazz shook her head. "And the sad thing is, that's still adorable."

_Young _

Danielle Fenton-Phantom had aged quickly, pumped full of chemicals even before her 'birth' so that she grew into the body of a twelve-year-old girl. Physically, she stood on the cusp of puberty. Mentally, she was an amazingly quick learner. She'd had to be just to survive, to get through. Emotionally, she was capable of complexities, of everything from love to hate.

All in all, she was quite mature for her age… but nothing could replace experience. Not Ecto-Dejecto, not intelligence, not strength of the heart.

At the end of the day, she was still a child in a teenager's body- a child without a childhood, who had every intention of getting all the experience she could.

_Ysame _

It was the Box Ghost of all people who first figured it out. The Phantom was mighty enough on his own, but when his friends stood at his side, they were unbeatable. So he would divide and conquer- or at least try to. His attempt failed miserably, but it got the other ghosts thinking. Danny _did _rely pretty heavily on his friends….

So Desiree stalked Sam, used her magic to break up the trio. It almost worked- the Phantom was reduced to a mortal boy….

…until Team Phantom came together once more.

_Yucky _

"Hey, Dash?"

"Yeah, Kwan?"

"Um…." His friend fidgeted, feet shuffling. "…why in the world were you carrying around an old pair of underwear? I mean, did you expect to make that bet with Fenton or something? Because…. I, I don't know how to say this gently, man, but carrying around dirty old undies is _weird._"

Dash looked at him with unblinking blue-purple eyes.

Kwan flushed. "No, seriously. Have you ever heard of someone who does that? Me neither- well, not until you. Because that's kind of- well-gross."

Dash narrowed his eyes. "Are you finished yet?"

"But aren't you going to ans-"

"No."

* * *

"Ysame" is a fancy old word that apparently means 'Together.'

The final stretch... Z should be up by New Year's. I hope. My family has a way of eating up time, and since I'm home for Christmas, I have to worry about that.

Merry Christmas!

-Corona


	26. Z

_Zabernism _

Dash liked power a lot. That didn't mean he knew how to use it.

Nerds feared his fists, his wedgies, his wrath whenever he did badly on the field. Jocks feared his influence in their sports of choice. Even the teachers stepped lightly around him, because if _they_ drove Casper's best athlete, its most important student, to a private school, they'd be fired before the day was done.

Until Dash ruptured his ACL at the beginning of the football season and was force-fed his own medicine. He was an outcast, a pariah among his former friends.

"Well," Danny sighed, staring at the food-covered jock, "I do believe in second chances."

_Zapas _

The thrall army of Pariah Dark, King of All Ghosts, was the most efficient military force in the two worlds. Or at least they were once they had their orders and if things went according to plan. Lacking minds of their own, the skeletal warriors couldn't improvise. That was left to their commander, usually the king himself but sometimes one of Pariah's retainers.

That was why the Ancients were told to attack Pariah himself, ignoring the army. If they got in close, the army couldn't shoot without risking their master. That way, the Ancients _might_ stand a chance.

Might.

_Zeal _

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Ghosts!"

"Dad, that's a bad thing."

"No it's not, Jazzypants! If there's a ghost, we get to hunt it. Ghosts!" Jack hefted his ecto-cannon.

His daughter gulped. "Um, Dad, that looks like more of an outdoor weapon"

"Banzai!" He fired. Green-white light scalded Jazz's eyes. The recoil knocked her and her father back.

Danny yelped. Jazz's heart froze. Was that pain in his voice?

No, she realized once her vision cleared. Just surprise and annoyance. Dad missed.

The redhead grinned. Good thing her father had more enthusiasm than skill.

_Zelotypia _

Finally! Jazz had waited so long for this day, the day she could at long last step out of the shadows, stop merely covering for her baby brother, and join him and his friends in the field! She couldn't deny that she'd been curious about their methods, their strategies, about the amazing person that Danny really was. _Especially_ the amazing person he hid behind his mask of normalcy. They could become close again, bond over hunting ghosts, and she'd get to protect him at the same time. It was perfect!

Or it would be, once it actually started. She hoped.

_Zenith _

Desiree hated to admit it, but she'd reached her high point centuries ago. She'd been human then, bronze-skinned instead of green, the apple of her daddy's eye. Then _that woman_ came along and everything was ruined. Ruined! She even died, things got so bad!

Since then, she'd tried desperately, ceaselessly, to claw her way to the top. She wanted her wish to come true, to go back to the height of her power and influence. She wanted what she'd lost so long ago.

Maybe this time, she'd actually get it.

_Zero _

He had no athletic skills to speak of, no preternatural intelligence like his elder sister—even like his parents, though their smarts were channeled into ghost-hunting tech—no all-consuming passion. He wasn't wealthy, wasn't even skilled at chess or debate or any other slightly more obscure, less cool talent. In a word, he was ordinary.

Well, maybe not ordinary, not with those parents, that sister. Definitely not ordinary, and not in a good way. The ghost hunters' geeky son was a freak, a loser, a _nobody_ who would never amount to _anything._ They all thought he was nothing.

Oh, how wrong they were.

_Zither _

Everything was perfect. The lights, the décor, the music… all perfect, all wonderful.

Then a sour note rent the air.

Dora, newly crowned queen of Ynnis Drak, spun around, frowned at the unfortunate musician. The ghost blushed. "Apologies, Majesty. It won't happen again." To prove his point, he plucked the sour string again. It broke. The musician blanched. "I'm sorry! Now where's my spare string…?"

The dragoness could have wept. She had only a few minutes left before her first ball began. She wanted it to be _perfect,_ and this threatened to ruin it.

"Ah-ha!"

Sweet song filled the air.

_Zombie _

Danni much preferred fighting ghosts.

Well, okay, zombies kind of were ghosts. Kind of. They were just either really stupid or really desperate, so they went back and possessed their own corpses in a vain attempt to return to life. Sadly, corpses were not meant to house souls, so the attempt at overshadowing had some… interesting… effects on the corpse-ghost's neurological system. What little was left of the body's brain, that was.

"Brains…."

"Oh, shut up," she growled, tearing the soul from the body.

"Brains!" cried another zombie, one of the many whose soul and body were still attached.

Danni groaned. She had a lot of work to do.

_Zone _

"This place is so cool," Sam enthused, pressing her face up against the glass of the Specter Speeder.

"It's creepy," Tucker argued.

"Well yeah. That's why it's so cool." Sam's purple lips quirked up in a smile.

A rock opened its… mouth? Since when did rocks have mouths? For that matter, how were these rocks floating? Was there some kind of gravitational center at the center of the Ghost Zone that kept them from flying off into who-knew-where? Was there—

The rock burped out a stream of green goo. Tucker dodged, a huge grin on his face.

They didn't know anything about the Ghost Zone, but they'd love to find out.

_Zoo_

There were two rules to the bar: first, no fighting. Second, no former humans. Only animal ghosts (or _sentients, _as they called themselves in an attempt to differentiate their brethren from ordinary beasties) were allowed.

So when Skulker finally broke into the bar, he didn't find any foolish, frightened animals. He found dozens of angry, belligerent, and slightly drunken sentients who did not appreciate being interrupted.

"Attack!" shrieked an old Russian vulture, another of Plasmius's servants.

That vulture, its two comrades, a ten-foot bunny, a flock of starlings, and two dragons led the charge.

Skulker spent the rest of the night as a hunting trophy above the bar's fireplace.

* * *

Thank you, everybody, and especially to those who sent me Z prompts! I got about half of those from you guys.

MoM? is still fighting me *pauses to ward off attack from story* with everything it's got, but hopefully the next chapter will be up in 2ish weeks. Hopefully. It's not exactly a cooperative little bugger...

Happy new year!

-Corona


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